Reality Check

Coming from one of the safest places in the South East of England in which to study, (In 2011 Canterbury was actually named the safest student city in England and Wales) one of the first things that struck me as totally bizarre were the metallic, outlandish Emergency buttons that dominate the campus every corner you take.  Warned never to walk alone on campus or downtown, I immediately felt a little insecure and questioned where my parents had sent me to study!

But safety is considered with the upmost importance on campus, hence why there are emergency buttons strategically dotted around so that if you can get the attention of the USC Police almost instantly.  Simply push the red button and you’re directly connected to the Police, allowing the dispatcher to know your exact location. We were even told during an orientation that if you are being chased and you cannot stop, simply press the call boxes as you run past and police officers will be able to identify the pattern and the direction you’re going in.

It’s safe to say that we have nothing along these lines back at home! Yes we have a ‘Campus Watch’ system where you can get security to walk you back to your dorm late at night if you’re alone but these emergency buttons really seemed to be the cherry on top of the cake.

I’ve never been a fan of horror films, they tend to make me really jumpy and give me graphic nightmares for weeks on end, so I usually avoid them at all costs! However, I always feel a sense of relief when I realise that these films are usually set in some American corn-field or old barn across the other side of the world. This tends to reassure me and allows me to sleep safely tucked up in my bed a million miles away. But now I can’t really play that card. I’m in America where scary things happen, so there’s no use pretending!

Last month, I got a major reality check when a first year student was shot on a night out in town. The freshman, only 18 years old, was hit by a random bullet whilst waiting for a taxi down in Five Points. The shooting resulted in her being permanently paralysed from the hips down, after a 40-caliber bullet was lodged in her spine. This event made me realise how far away I am from home! And America still has the right to bear arms? My heart goes out to the young girl and her family; I cannot image how traumatic it must have been. But the scary thing is that it could have happened to anyone, any student; International or American, it could have been one of my friends, it could have been me. She was merely a bystander to someone else’s aggression, simply waiting for a taxi at the end of the night. If that’s not scary, I don’t know what it!