Keeping college students safe: it's on the minds of educators, as September kicks off National Campus Safety Awareness Month.

At the University of Central Florida's annual campus safety fair, students will learn crime prevention tips, like dealing with relationship violence, or surviving an active shooter scenario.  School leaders hope that by teaching students ways to stay safe and empowering them to be proactive, incidents of crime may decrease. 

This seminar follows a rash of crime on and around campus in recent months, from the attempted rape of a 20-year-old woman in March to two people being hurt in a drive-by shooting at an apartment complex on Socrates Drive one month later.

More recently, a man was arrested after police say he broke into a UCF-area apartment and watched women as they slept. 

Statistics provided by the UCF Police Department show that from 2013 to 2014, many crimes, such as aggravated assault, robbery and burglary, trended down. Others increased. Forcible rape rose 27%, and larceny, which typically refers to non-violent theft, jumped by nearly 60%. 

The safety fair, now in its 6th year, is free for students to attend.  It is being held at the Pegasus Ballroom in the Student Union from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

UCF National Campus Safety Awareness Month events

All sessions start at noon in the Student Union                                                                         

  • Thursday, Sept. 10: Shots Fired, presented by UCFPD, teaches tactics for surviving an active shooter scenario. The class will be held in Cedar Key Room 223.
  • Tuesday, Sept. 15: Peace Love Music, which explores the role music plays in relationship violence, will be presented by SafeHouse of Seminole. The class will be held in Cedar Key Room 223.
  • Tuesday, Sept. 22: Bystander intervention and hazing prevention will be taught by Victim Services in Key West Room 218.
  • Tuesday, Sept. 29: How to help a person in crisis, presented by UCF Cares and Victim Services, will be held in Egmont Key Room 224.