Safety on Panama’s Campus
Our campus, including our thirteen housing units, is located in La Boca,Panama, which is considered a very desirable and relatively safe neighborhood. However, we strongly recommend that you take the following precautions, regardless if you reside on or off campus. These simple tips will help to ensure your safety:
1. Lock all outside doors and deadlock windows when you are not at home. Most of our doors are metal doors, and those that are not are sturdy wooden doors. All our main entrance doors are equipped with peep holes.
2. If you live in university housing, make sure the outside light is on at night.
3. If you have a telephone-answering machine, don’t record a message saying: “I am not at home at the moment,” as this reveals to the caller that you are either a single occupant or that no one is at home at the moment. It is better to say: “No one is available to take your call at the moment.”
4. If you receive an obscene or threatening telephone call or note, tell a member of the Student Affairs Office or campus security.
5. If you live in a shared house, don’t assume that another roommate will make it secure when you go out. Make sure you leave the house secure at all times.
6. If you are going away overnight, let a roommate you trust or the Student Affairs Office know where you are going, when you should be back, and leave a telephone number where you can be reached in the event of an emergency.
7. Do not leave spare keys outside or in the garage. Keep house and car keys separate and out of sight in the house. Do not leave your keys near doors or windows. Leave keys in a safe place where you can find them easily in case you need to leave in a hurry. Never duplicate keys or provide a copy to someone who is not authorized to be in the housing unit alone.
8. If you are leaving the house for a period of time, it is suggested that you purchase a timer for your lamp and radios to make it look as if someone is in.
9. If you return to your housing unit and see signs of a break-in (e.g., smashed windows or open doors), do not go in. Go to a friend or neighbor’s house and contact the university security office. Do not touch anything when you do go back in for you could destroy valuable evidence.
