Bruce Shepard to students: This Halloween, be safe, be a good neighbor
In efforts to ensure this Halloween is a safe one, President Shepard emailed students this morning encouraging them to be positive influences on the Western and Bellingham communities through their choices and actions:
Dear Western students,
I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that Halloween is this weekend. While you enjoy the fun associated with Halloween, please do so in a safe manner and as a good neighbor with the greater Bellingham community.
It is within that spirit that I bring to your attention the fact that this Halloween weekend, Friday and Saturday nights, Oct. 30 and 31, Bellingham Police and University Police will be conducting Party Patrols. If you live off-campus and decide to have a party, be respectful of your neighbors and use common sense in keeping things under control. Some useful “Neighborly Advice” tips and information are available at the Off Campus Living website.
Being a good neighbor and part of a community also means looking out for each other. One of the best things about Western is our strong sense of community. But community doesn’t just happen—community is created and sustained, every day, by each of us in what we do or refrain from doing.
If you see a fellow student at a party, downtown, in the dorms, or walking across campus, who is in a bad situation or heading toward one, I encourage you to take action. There are many resources to aid in getting the help that is needed —anything from directions back to a residence area, how to use the Late Night Shuttle or get a safe escort from the Green Coats service, to calling on the local police for an off-campus matter or assistance with medical attention for extreme cases. Sometimes just a friendly “are you OK?” can head off small problems before they become big ones. And make a life-changing difference.
So take ownership of the community and environment we create together, in everything from your everyday interactions with your neighbors to those opportunities for intervention that could change the course of someone’s life. If you live off-campus, introduce yourself to your neighbors and look out for them as well. If you visit the neighborhoods near campus, please think for a moment about how you wish to be perceived and act accordingly.
I have all the confidence that you will do this in the coming weeks and throughout your time at Western.
Have fun and stay safe,
Bruce