Securty Alerts and Safe Havens

Some family members have been asking about communication to students on campus following an incident. With that in mind, we wanted to share a couple of important pieces of safety information for you to discuss with your students.

When an issue occurs near or around the Columbia campus, a Security Alert is issued by the Department of Public Safety. These alerts are prominently displayed in the residence halls shortly after being released. The Division of Student Affairs (which includes our staff in residence and our Advising Deans) works closely with the Department of Public Safety to ensure our community is informed.

Security alerts are also routinely posted on the Public Safety website at:

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/publicsafety/alerts.htm

Safe Havens are local businesses throughout the Morningside Heights community where a student can go if they are ever feeling uncomfortable. Safe Havens are designated by a red lion sticker in the window. Proprieters of safe havens locations are available to provide a more comfortable environment and immediately contact Public Safety if the need arises. A list of over 100 locations is available at:

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/publicsafety/SafeHavenLocations.pdf

Additional information on campus safety and resources available to students is available at

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/publicsafety/

Please don't hesitate to contact us with any additonal questions!

Sending your child to college

A Columbia mother shares her thoughts on sending her daughter to college. This may be reminiscent of your thoughts and feelings just 2 months ago. How are you handling having a child at college? Tips for staying in touch and keeping connected? What's the best way to support a child who is living away from home? Feel free to post your thoughts below.

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I remember that as I left the Columbia Convocation, my heart ached a bit and my arms felt almost useless. They wanted to carry my little baby girl, now a college freshman. I flashed back on all those years leading up to this moment and wondered: how could they have gone by so quickly? I also worried about my daughter’s adjustment to life at Columbia. How would she handle the challenging curriculum? Could she possibly do a load of laundry? Would she be able to manage her daily finances? I wondered about our relationship. Would we remain as close now that she was starting a new chapter of her life while I would remain behind?

In the weeks, months, and now years that have followed that day, I can honestly say that my daughter has handled every challenge and exceeded all my expectations. She adjusted to life at Columbia fairly quickly and has since achieved a great deal of academic success. She has been involved in many clubs and rewarding extracurricular activities. Instant messaging and cell phones have enabled us to speak very often, and Columbia’s location in NYC has provided us with opportunities to enjoy concerts, operas, picnics in the park, and great restaurants. If only I had known there was no need to worry.