Make sure your dorm room has a smoke detector in it. If your dorm room doesn't have a smoke detector, contact your campus housing office. Ask your resident assistant (RA) about the dorm building's evacuation plan. Practice it when a drill happens. Treat every drill as if it were the real thing. Always evacuate the premises during a drill or whenever the alarm goes off. Stay out of the dorm building during fire drills and whenever the alarm goes off until the fire department says it is okay to enter the dorm building. Only smoke outside the dorm building in the permitted areas. If there is a public kitchen, stay in the kitchen at all times and supervise your food whenever you are cooking meals. Never cook when you are tired or on medications that might make you drowsy.
Lock your doors whenever you leave the room or whenever you are alone in your room. If you lose your keys make sure you notify your RA or campus housing office. Program campus security's phone number into your cell phone and hang up the number on the wall above your dorm phone. Never loan out your key to a friend or anyone else. Do not make copies of your keys for anyone else. Not only is making a copy of a dorm key unsafe, it is also illegal. You and your roommate are the only ones who should have dorm keys. If you have suspicion that your roommate has given out a key or loans out his key, contact your RA. Do not admit any strangers into your dorm building. Students should carry their dorm keys and student identification cards at all times.
Make sure someone knows of your class schedule and work schedule. If you plan to be away from your dorm room for an extended period of time, make sure to tell your RA, your roommate and a friend or family member. Only carry small amounts of cash in your wallet when you leave the dorm room. Avoid unlit areas around your dorm building and other areas around campus. When you are alone or when it is night, do not hang outside around your dorm building. Have your keys ready to enter the building before you get there. Avoid walking close to strangers. Don't carry too many things. Remember that it is safer to walk with confidence and to not be afraid.
Whenever you can, travel to the bathrooms, showers, kitchen, computer labs and study rooms with one friend or more. If you notice anyone you are not familiar with roaming your dorm halls without the company of a resident, contact your RA or campus security. Whenever you have guests staying in your dorm room, make sure they abide by the dorm building rules. Make sure the hall manager and your RA knows that your guest is staying in your room. Stay with your guest at all times. Whenever possible, travel outside your dorm at night with a group of friends, especially in parking lots or unlit areas.
Protect your belongings by labeling them with stickers that include your name and phone number. Items that should be labeled include sentimental items, laptops, desktop computers, video games, televisions, cell phones and more. Never leave large amounts of money in your dorm. Never leave out checkbooks, drivers licenses, money, keys, wallets, jewelry or purses sitting out in your dorm room. Carry a second wallet with you that includes an expired license, expired credit cards and a couple dollar bills. If you ever get robbed, you can hand over the fake wallet instead of your real one.