CAMPUS SAFETY A `BLUE-LIGHT' SPECIAL; CSUN GETS EMERGENCY PHONE SYSTEM.

Byline: Carol Bidwell Staff Writer

Life's a jungle out there, even in the hallowed halls of academia, but campus police say there are more ways than ever for students to make sure they're safe on campus.

This semester for the first time, California State University, Northridge, students will have ``blue light'' emergency phones throughout the 350-acre campus on which they can call for help or to report a suspicious person or incident, said Acting Campus Police Chief Michael Sugar.

CSUN, which has 23 phones already working and another 17 ready to install in the coming weeks in parking areas, is following the lead of the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles, campuses that have had the same kind of emergency phones for several years.

UCLA will be adding more of the emergency phones this year in its parking areas, supplementing safety programs such as self-defense classes, campus-to-dorm van services and uniformed security escorts available to accompany students walking around campus between dusk and 1 a.m., said Nancy Greenstein, director of police and community service for UCLA.

``People are using the phones,'' she said. ``We're getting a lot more calls of suspicious people, which we check out. When you get a lot of people watching, it's harder to commit a crime.''

The CSUN phones were purchased by the students themselves, who voted a year ago to assess each student a $5 fee. The $120,000 raised bought the equipment, and the university donated about $100,000 in labor and parts, said Sugar.

``We've placed them so anywhere you are on campus, you can see one of the phones. Each one has a bright blue light, a strobe flashing. You just push a button and you're automatically talking to our dispatcher.''

USC has had the emergency phones for several years, ``but they're not used very much,'' said Bob Taylor, deputy chief of the campus police. ``Everywhere you look, you see students with their own cell phones.''

Several companies are marketing individual pager-style body alarms for students, but the police representatives said they're of doubtful value because of their cost (one, being used this year at two colleges in Alabama and Florida, costs an initial $25, then $45 per semester), and they also require the school to install receivers around campus.

``We all know fear sells,'' Sugar said. ``People will buy anything if they think it'll assuage fears.''

``God gave most people a pretty good alarm, and that's their voice,'' said Taylor. ``If you're in trouble, scream. There are usually enough people out and about on our campus that somebody'll hear you.''

Cellular or campus phones are probably more useful for students than an alarm, the officers said.

But the best way to avoid becoming a victim of crime is to use common sense, all three campus police forces advise.

``The biggest problem on campus is petty theft,'' said Taylor. ``We tell students, particularly freshmen, `Don't assume you can just lay a laptop (computer) on a desk in a classroom and go out and get a hamburger and come back and find it still there.' We have to constantly preach to the students.''

Security on Campus Inc. of King of Prussia, Penn., a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention of campus violence, offers these safety tips for students:

Study the campus and immediate neighborhood and learn safe routes both during the day and after dark. Learn the location of emergency phones and how to operate them.

Always travel in groups or with a ``buddy.'' Use shuttle services after dark.

Share your class and activities schedule with a few close friends and your parents; give your parents the phone numbers of your friends and academic adviser. Program your phone with emergency and family and friends' phone number.

Carefully evaluate both on- and off-campus housing for lighting and safety; entry doors should be equipped with a peephole and deadbolt.

Always lock your doors and windows. Don't prop open outside doors that should be kept closed and locked.

Pick a dormitory that has a card access system rather than standard metal door keys, and a central entrance lobby where nighttime access is monitored. An outside telephone should be available to visitors, who must call a resident to gain entry.

Be careful at parties; more than 90 percent of campus crime involves alcohol or drug abuse, or both. Don't leave your drink unattended; the street drug Rohypnol - known as ``roofies'' - has been used to spike women's drinks prior to sexual assaults.

Get to know your neighbors, and don't hesitate to report to police illegal or suspicious activities.

For more campus safety information, contact Security on Campus Inc. at [phone], on the Web at www.campussafety.org, or by e-mail at soccampussafety.org.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

PHOTO (1) Robert Hanff, CSUN Associated Students president, demonstrates operation of the emergency telephone. Pushing a button, left, puts the user in immediate contact with campus security's dispatcher.

Phil McCarten/Daily News

(2) no caption (emergency phone)