
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, August 23, 1994                   TAG: 9408250027
SECTION: WELCOME STUDENTS                    PAGE: 23   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WHEN CRIME BARES ITS TEETH, BITE BACK

Both Radford University and Virginia Tech campuses are served by full-service police departments, ready to investigate a serious crime such as rape or a seemingly small crime such as the loss of a bookbag.

Too often, students think the campus is a safe cocoon from "the real world." Information reported to the state police for its annual "Crime in Virginia" report proves otherwise. The two departments investigated more than 600 complaints of theft in 1993, 28 cases of aggravated assault and 26 cases of burglary.

The 1990 federal Campus Awareness and Security Act requires colleges to report crimes to the public. Crime news reports are a regular feature of the Radford and Tech student newspapers.

Here are some common-sense tips that can help you "take a bite out of crime."

Remember to lock your dorm room while you're sleeping, taking a nap, or leaving for "just a few minutes" for an errand. Each year, campus police investigate several cases of thefts from unlocked dorm rooms. Both Radford University and Virginia Tech police have engravers that students can borrow to put identifying marks on valuables such as televisions and computers.

Bookbags and backpacks, an essential accessory for most college students, often contain scads of valuable things. Throw in a few books, your eyeglasses, cash and credit cards, even a laptop computer, and voila, your backpack can easily contain items valued at $500 or more. Keep it zipped and keep an eye on it if you have to leave it for any length of time.

Register your bicycle with the campus police. There are auctions each year of bikes that have been recovered, but whose owners can't be found because the bikes were not registered. Also invest in a good bar-type lock. Bolt cutters can easily cut through inexpensive chain locks.

In any college community, students are going to experiment with alcohol. But be aware of its effects. Besides the fact that it's illegal for most students, alcohol lowers inhibitions, leading people to take risks they usually wouldn't - from driving under the influence to leaving a social setting with someone you just met.

Emergency telephones are available across both campuses. Students are encouraged to use them, and their personal phones, to report trouble. Tech's emergency number is 888. For other calls, dial 231-6411. Radford's emergency number is 831-5500. For other calls, dial 831-5348.

by CNB