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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

Looking Out For One Another: The Key to a Safe and Secure Environment


We, as a college community, value our freedoms. After all, we are fortunate enough to learn, work, and reside in a community where acceptance and personal growth are not only encouraged but developed as well. Even in the most perfect circumstances, the opportunity exists for some to exploit the good will and community atmosphere for their own benefit, therefore creating a culture of distrust and uncivil behavior.

One way we can combat this culture is through the belief that as a college community we have an obligation to protect the very principles we hold dear, starting with the need to combat theft on our campus. Unfortunately a by-product of any successful community is the oft-experienced period of comfortability in your surroundings. When this occurs, we become complacent and tend to let our personal and collective guard down creating opportunity for those seeking to do us harm. As a college community, we certainly do not wish to create an atmosphere of distrust and suspicion, in fact we need to create even stronger bonds and become more inclusive in our efforts to discourage those who wish to do us harm.

Civil societies thrive and expand when they utilize the concepts that allow all to practice civil behavior. Crime Prevention practitioners address their respective communities by sharing the concept of “Looking Out for One Another.” This is especially helpful when protecting your personal property and the property of others. We all let our guard down once in a while, especially when we feel safe and secure in our surroundings. Unfortunately long gone are the days where we could leave our homes and vehicles unlocked and our personal property unattended and unsecured. As the “my” generation developed, the theft of personal property increased as well as the lack of respect for others. We as a college community could either accept the current societal trend, or we can work together to defeat it.

For a crime to occur, one must first provide opportunity. We as a community can lessen the opportunity for theft on our campus by first securing and protecting our own personal property. This concept is as simple as not leaving any personal property unattended or unsecured, locking our vehicles when parked on campus, and not leaving any valuables in our vehicles that could be viewed in plain sight from outside the vehicle. Secondly, we can apply the “Looking Out for One Another” concept by reporting suspicious behavior. If you observe something or someone that looks suspicious or if you simply get that “funny feeling” sensation, report your suspicions to Public Safety. You can do so by calling 292-2911 from your cellular telephone, X2911 from any Campus telephone, or by using any emergency telephone located on campus. You can even report suspicious activity anonymously by utilizing the MCC Public Safety Silent Witness link found the Public Safety webpage or by calling 292-2075.

The Public Safety Department and the MCC Civility Committee thank you for all your efforts as we continue to build upon our successes in creating a safe, secure, and civil college community. If we continue to look out and care for one another, we will continue to create and maintain a working and learning environment that will set the standard for college communities nationwide.

Chuck DiSalvo
The Civility Project: Making Courtesy Common
11/14/2012