Blog Posts Across BlueMag Project

Identity Theft is the stealing of any information that relates to your personal identity. It could involve credit card numbers, social security numbers or even checking account information. Identity Theft negatively affects your credit report and can cause you an array of problems. It can make it impossible for you to get loans for a car, house or school, or even to get certain jobs or rent an apartment. Identity thieves gain their information through various routes. Sometimes they will sift th… Continue

Did you know that in about half of all rape cases the victim knows their attacker? This is known as date rape or acquaintance rape. It is extremely important to take all necessary precautions at all times, but especially in college. Over a four year stay at a university, one in four women will be sexually assaulted. The statistics are a little scary, but there are precautions that you can take to prevent yourself from becoming a victim. Never walk alone or go to a bar or club alone, stay with a… Continue

In 1992, Congress presented President George Bush with the Campus Sexual Assault Victims’ Bill of Rights. This particular bill had been brought to the floor by Congressman Jim Ramstad of Minnesota in 1991. Therefore it is commonly known as 'The Ramstad Act." The Bill of Rights ensures that any college or university that is a participant in any federal student aid programs must provide certain basic rights to victims of sexual assault crimes. This includes both public and private institutions. Vi… Continue

Fire Safety is extremely important, even during your college years. If you do not live in a dorm and live in a private apartment off campus, things like smoke detectors and fire extinguishers may not be supplied to you. However, they are extremely important to keep in the house at all times. There are many tips as to how to prevent a fire. Don't leave space heaters on for long periods of time or unattended, do not leave candles burning unattended, do not let any type of heater close to flammabl… Continue

Many college students participate in drinking, however, it does not always have to be a dangerous experience. There are plenty of ways to enjoy social drinking with friends when you are 21 and over and still stay safe. A recent study done by Kansas State found that much of the problem with college students getting in trouble with alcohol does not come from how much they drink, but rather if they are risk takers. Students who are risk takers while they are sober are much more likely to partake i… Continue

Spring Break is a time to get away from the books for a little while and go have some fun with your friends. As exciting as this time is, if you're planning to travel, you should always plan ahead. You should look into Travel Medical Insurance. It covers many things, including accidents, illnesses, and some even cover lost luggage while you are traveling. You can purchase your plans on a by trip basis or even annually. Although it is not usually the first thing you think during your planning, i… Continue

Starting college is a very exciting time. You're moving away from home for the first time and living on your own. Some will be staying in an on campus dorm and others will be living off campus. One of the last things that you think about at this time is food safety. Bacteria grows rapidly on foods that are between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. In fact, it doubles every twenty minutes. Pizza and any other food that is hot or cold should be refrigerated within two hours. If the temperature where… Continue

I recently had to do an assignment for one of my classes on burglaries and some of the safest places you can hide your cash and valuables around the house. I found an extremely interesting article on a personal finance website and thought I would share it with you. The author speaks one on one with an ex-burglar and gets the scoop on the motives of burglaries and some of the best places to hide cash and valuables. Obviously the safest place you could store money or valuables is in the bank. Thi… Continue

Safety while walking is extremely important. As many criminals are opportunists, walkers who are distracted become extremely easy targets. It is much better to walk in areas that are heavily traveled by other pedestrians. The odds are that the criminal is looking for an easy target and does not want witnesses of any kind. Most attacks only take a few minutes to occur, and they are looking for someone who seems distracted and relatively simple to over power if necessary. How do you go about not… Continue

On April 5, 1986 a young woman by the name of Jeanne Clery was raped, tortured, and murdered in her dorm room at Lehigh University. Up until this point in time, there were really no laws enforcing that universities release records of crimes committed on campus. This is why Jeanne and her family had no idea that crimes on college campuses were an ongoing problem. After their daughter's murder, Jeanne's parents, Howard and Connie Clery began a non-profit organization by the name of 'Security on Ca… Continue

Welcome to my blog! Seeing as you have found your way here, I suppose I should start by giving you an introduction. My name is Lacy McFadden and I am currently a student at Pittsburgh Technical Institute. I am studying Business Administration with a Concentration in Safety and Security. As part of my curriculum, I am required to complete an internship prior to graduation. So, I will be frequently posting blogs and updating on things like safety, well-being, security and criminal activity. Hope… Continue