Pierce community makes a safe campus

Some may question their safety on campus with recent crimes listed in Sheriff’s Blotter in the Roundup, but Pierce College is, without a doubt, a safe campus to be on due to the its active community.

Students and teachers alike seem to react logically and quickly to dangers present on campus, showing time and time again the cohesive bond the community has in and around the campus.

Most recently, a dangerous parolee made his way into a classroom two weeks ago. The teacher quickly made an excuse to leave when a few students started arriving, and ran to police on campus to arrest the man, according to a recent article in the online edition of the Roundup.

Pierce has a Sheriff’s Station right on campus, allowing officers to react quickly to come to the aid of staff and students. Sheriffs will even escort students, staff and visitors to their destinations if they feel unsafe, according to the Sheriff Department’s website.

Woodland Hills itself is a safe place for the campus to lie, touting a lower crime rate than many of the towns other local colleges are located in, according to the Los Angeles Time’s “Mapping L.A.” project.

Valley Glen, where Los Angeles Valley College is located, has had 15 more violent crimes in the last six months compared to Woodland Hills. North Hollywood, which has Concorde Career College and Kaplan College, has had 65 more violent crimes in the past 6 months, as well as 173 more property crimes compared to Woodland Hills, according to the LA Time’s “Mapping L.A.” project.

The campus has also hosted various events promoting safety, self-defense, and abuse awareness–including hosting Denim Day last April to promote awareness and help for those who have been sexually or physically abused.

The event included self-defense and brief martial arts training, as well as crafts, speakers and private counseling, according to the Roundup.

The Health Center offers professional medical care and advice to enrolled students for little to no money during the week, having services matching any other ordinary health clinic.

Services range from First Aid and crisis intervention to psychological counseling and health education. They are doubly helpful for those who have either no insurance or high co-pay fees, allowing student to get the proper care they need without paying exorbitant amounts of money.

Even animals are safely housed at Pierce in dangerous situations. When a wildfire was spreading through Hidden Valley last May, 25 horses from a local ranch were evacuated to the college to keep them away from harm.

With the staff, students, sheriffs and community Pierce College has, it is without a doubt one of the safest campuses in the San Fernando Valley and beyond.