Skip to content Skip to main navigation Report an accessibility issue

General Safety Tips for Students and Campus Community

General safety tips for students:

  • Be aware of your surroundings
  • Don’t use your mobile devices when walking
  • If you are out at night, use the buddy system
  • Travel well-lit and/or heavily populated paths
  • Through LiveSafe, UT’s mobile safety app, students can use the SafeWalk feature to share their location with a trusted person
  • Lock your cars and take your keys with you
  • Close and lock all windows and doors when you park
  • Remove or hide your belongings from plain view
  • When getting into your vehicle to leave, lock your doors after you get in. Do not spend a lot of time in the parking space doing things like sending messages or checking social media.
  • The university offers T:Link late night shuttle service, which gives students a transportation option at night
  • Take advantage of the numerous safety programs offered through the UT Police Department. They include personal safety, online safety and alcohol awareness. UTPD also offered the Rape Aggression Defense course, which is a free self-defense course for women.
  • For more about UT safety programs and safety information, call 865-974-3114 or visit https://safety.utk.edu/police

 

Other safety information:

  • UTPD officers patrol campus 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Our officers also patrol area residence halls.
  • Emergency blue phones are installed all over campus and can reach UTPD with the touch of a button.
  • UT sends timely warnings, also known as safety notices, to the campus community to keep them informed about threats to health and safety in a manner that allows them to make informed decisions about their safety and the safety of others.
  • UT also sends emergency notifications, or UT Alerts, about incidents that are critical in nature and require immediate action.
  • LiveSafe, the UT mobile campus safety app, gives students, faculty and staff a quick and convenient way to reach police for help, report suspicious activity and access campus resources and services. A popular feature of LiveSafe is SafeWalk, which allows you to virtually “walk” and “ride with” your contacts to their destinations and know when they have arrived.
  • UT encourages all campus community members who believe they are victims of a bias-motivated incident or crime, or who have witnessed an incident or crime, to report it to the university through the Bias Reporting website. The Bias Reporting team is comprised of representatives of various campus units, including police.
  • The UT Police Department Community Relations Unit (CRU) is our outward-facing training unit within the department. They provide educational programming for the campus community on a myriad of topics including drug/alcohol awareness, personal safety, and active shooter. They are a great point of contact for small and large groups who’d like to know more about personal safety.