Are students aware of, knowledgeable about, and willing to use campus safety services?

Abstract

The current study aimed to examine the extent to which students were aware of, knowledgeable about, and willing to use services offered by Campus Safety at Carleton University. Surveying students revealed that most were unaware of the majority of services. When students were aware of the services, typically less than half of the students knew how to access them and very few had used them. Encouragingly, most students indicated that they would use the services in the future. Interviews with Campus Safety officers and a small subsample of students who completed the survey yielded numerous recommendations regarding how the identified gaps in awareness and knowledge may be filled. The problems uncovered in this study may exist at other universities. To the extent that they do, these recommendations may also allow Campus Safety departments at these institutions to increase the degree to which their services are utilized by students.