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University working to prevent sexual assault
Due to increased reports of sexual assault in the Iowa City community, the University has stepped up a proactive approach to prevention though a number of programs and services:
- NITE RIDE, a pilot program started this fall, offers women free, safe rides home on Friday and Saturday nights. UI police use a 15-passenger van to transport women from a designated pickup point in downtown Iowa City to their residence halls or apartments.
- University Housing sponsors several programs in the residence halls about how not to be an easy target of crime, how to secure residence hall rooms and apartments from break-ins, how to detect violent people, and strategies for responding in a dangerous situation.
- The Rape Victim Advocacy Program provides free, confidential phone crisis counseling, in-person advocacy, and resource information for victims of any sex-related crime and their families and friends.
- The Women’s Resource and Action Center offers direct service programs, support groups, and counseling and sponsors educational programming and events.
Additionally, the Department of Public Safety offers free Rape Aggression Defense courses and provides sexual assault survivor packets.
Spring Break 101: Have fun, pick up skills, get credit
Adventurous students seeking an alternative to the stereotypical spring break getaway at an overcrowded beach in Cancún now have another option: for-credit courses offered by the UI Divisions of Continuing Education and Recreational Services.
Courses include SCUBA instruction in Florida, mountain biking in Utah, backpacking through the Grand Canyon, and ballroom dancing. Throughout the one-week courses, students gain hands-on experiences that cannot be taught in a classroom. All classes are led by UI instructors.
For more information, see www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/ccp/de/springbreak.htm.
Regents approve campus security plan, arming of police
After months of study and debate, the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, approved in October a comprehensive safety and security plan that allows for the arming of certified police officers at the three Regents campuses, including The University of Iowa. The Iowa schools were among few in the nation without armed officers. The plan also addresses building security, advanced communications for the entire campus, and training for instructors and residence hall staff.
Dining club urges students to think before they eat
“Clean your plate” is an almost universal refrain among parents whose children dawdle at the dinner table—and it’s a lesson many adults could stand to learn as well.
The amount of uneaten food discarded by UI dining facilities each year totals 359 tons, valued at more than $1 million. That’s why for one week in October patrons of the Hillcrest and Burge Hall Market Places were invited to join a Clean Your Plate Club. Students pledged to load their trays with only as much food as they were likely to finish so that little, and ideally none, would end up in the trash.
The campaign is part of a larger effort across campus to encourage greater stewardship of resources and healthier lifestyle choices.
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