Protect yourself

Ten Campus Safety Tips 

1. Trust your instincts. Whether it’s avoiding a suspicious person or leaving an unsafe situation, it's always better to err on the side of caution. If you feel that something is wrong or not quite right, don’t hesitate to contact Campus Public Safety for assistance. Program our number into your phone for quick access: 503-725-4407. We’re here to help!
2. Stay alert while traveling to and from, and around, campus. Use the senses available to you to monitor your surroundings. Avoid distractions like texting or listening to music with headphones in areas where you need to be aware of your environment.
3. Utilize campus safety resources. CPSO offers 24/7 safety escorts to students, faculty, staff and anyone else who needs one. Call CPSO at 503-725-4407 to request an escort if you feel unsafe.
4. Protect your property. Avoid leaving personal belongings or items of value, such as your backpack, laptop, or cellphone, unattended for any length of time. Make it a habit to keep these items with you.
5. Walk with friends. Whenever possible, walk with others while moving around campus. This helps promote your safety and theirs!
6. Secure your vehicle. If you own a vehicle and bring it to campus, we recommend removing all items from the vehicle and locking it whenever you leave it unattended.  
7. Be cautious with Rideshare Apps. When using rideshare services like Uber or Lyft, double-check the driver's name, photo, and car details before getting in. Always wait in a well-lit, populated area when waiting for your ride.
8. Be seen. This is especially important in the winter months when the days get darker earlier. It is important to wear bright, visible colors while walking around campus. In our urban environment, you’re likely to need to cross at least one street, and being seen can be a life-saver!
9. Keep personal information private. Avoid sharing personal information unless absolutely necessary.  Don’t keep your social security card in your wallet. If someone contacts you unexpectedly and asks “security questions” to confirm your identity, don’t provide answers. Avoid surveys on social media asking for “fun facts” about you, as these often target information that might be included in such security questions.
10. Protect your bike. If you bring a bicycle to campus, register it with Project 529 to improve chances of recovery if it is stolen. Secure it in a bike parking facility provided by Transportation and Parking Services, if possible. Use a hardened steel “U” Lock for securing your bicycle, and lock both the wheels and frame to the rack if possible.

Common Scams

The following tips will help in preventing your being the victim of a scam:

• Government agencies such as Social Security, IRS, Medicare and the Immigration Service do not call you to discuss your account status. Law Enforcement agencies will never call for money to prevent your arrest, or satisfy a criminal judgment. No caller from any government agency will threaten action or demand money from you. Any caller that threatens action and demands money by gift card or wiring money.
• Scams targeting international students typically know about immigration status and the school attended and the threatening action is deportation. Do not purchase gift cards or wire money for any caller.
• Never provide bank account or credit card information to any caller threatening action.
• If you believe a caller is attempting a scam, disconnect, make note of the calling number and call a trusted friend or CPSO for advice.

Telephone Harassment

The Campus Public Safety Office wants you to know that using the telephone to make obscene, threatening, or harassing calls to another person is against the law.

The law (ORS 166.090) addresses the crime of telephone harassment. Telephone harassment occurs when the caller intentionally harasses or annoys another person by ringing the person's telephone while having no communicative purpose or, after having been told not to do so, continues to call the receiving telephone.

In other words, the first call may not always constitute telephone harassment. Subsequent calls are telephone harassment if the caller has been forbidden to make the calls. All calls of an inappropriate nature should be reported immediately.

Threatening phone calls are addressed under a different statute (ORS 166.065). In this case you do not have to receive further phone calls before you can report it as a crime to the Campus Public Safety Office.

Definitions:

• Obscene: such calls can be considered harassing phone calls under the telephone harassment statute.
• Harassing: hang-up calls or annoyance calls.
• Threatening: Involve threats of bodily harm, kidnapping, property damage, etc.

What to Do:

• Always attempt to inform the caller he/she is not to call you again
• If no one answers you after you have said hello twice, or if the caller says something inappropriate, tell the caller he/she is not to call again, then hang up.
• Never give any information unless you are absolutely certain you know to whom you are speaking.
• If you are alone, do not reveal that fact to the caller.
• Instruct any children to never give any information to strangers over the phone.

For all complaints of inappropriate telephone use or telephone harassment here on campus or at on-campus housing, we request the complainant contact us for action.

Complainants will be afforded the following options:

• Immediate change in service number
• Assist in an investigative effort