Safety
Personal Safety
Two modern day fears that may trouble many Indian visitors to the U.S., are crime and a risk of contracting the AIDS virus. With increasing crime rate and the spread of the AIDS disease, every person has to be careful and take necessary steps so that the risk of exposure remains minimal, or even negligent.
The best protection against being mugged or robbed in the U.S. is to avoid traveling alone after dark in subways, downtown districts, parks, empty streets and decaying neighborhoods. Any area that looks seedy, is littered with trash and broken bottles, and has idle people hanging around street corners, is probably unsafe. Always avoid standing around and looking lost in and around airports, train and bus terminals and entrances to subway stations, or on empty pavements and staircases.
Avoid keeping your wallet in your back pocket and don't carry large amounts of cash in it. Always keep an eye on your luggage at airports and stations and do not leave bags unattended, even for a few minutes.
As far as the fear of contracting AIDS goes, do not be ignorant about the disease and the manner in which it is spread. Current medical research reports show that AIDS is transmitted, in virtually all cases, through sexual intercourse with infected persons, infected blood transfusions (now rare, because the blood supply in the U.S. is tested for AIDS), and through injections from infected needles (usually among the drug addicts who share needles; U.S. medical facilities never use the same needle twice). Once in the U.S. you can, if interested, obtain more information about prevention against AIDS from several state and federal agencies in the country.
Safety Tips at NU
You should always keep your apartment/ house/ dorm room locked even when you are there.
Make sure you look through the peep hole of your door and fasten the safety chain before admitting anyone.
Bring any potential security problems, like broken locks or outside doors left open, to the attention of your landlord or Residential director or campus Police on 2121.
Ask service agents (telephone, electric company, maintenance workers, police,etc.) for proper identification when they ask to enter your apartment/ house/ dorm room.
Notice the location of RED LIGHT Campus Emergency Phones along your campus routes.
Remember that the Campus Police emergency number is 2121 (from any campus phone) or 617-373-2121.
Always photocopy your identity page, any visa pages, and I-94 Form in your passport and keep them in place separate from your passport. These copies are very helpful in replacing a lost passport. It is not necessary for you to carry your passport every day.
Do not carry all your money or travel checks with you wherever you go. Apply for credit cards!
Use the Campus Safety RED Shuttle service when traveling to and from campus. It runs from 12:00 am to 6:00 am on all days. For more information, call 617 373 2121.
When working in the laboratory late at night, always lock the door. If you are working in the lab alone, very late at night, call the Campus Police at their on-emergency number, 2121 to let them know you are there.
Prefer to walk on well-lit streets at night, where other people are walking. Avoid dark alleyways.
Scan the area ahead, around and behind you whenever you are walking on the street and change direction, cross the street or enter a busy building if you get the feeling that someone near you might be a problem.
Do not resist a robber if you are confronted.
If you need to buy something very late at night, do not go alone. Request a friend to accompany you.
Be Careful: Sales Persons You will generally encounter salespersons who use various tactics to induce you to buy from them. This may happen either in person or on the telephone. Many salespersons are "on commission basis," which means their pay increases as the volume of their sales grows. They establish a cordial, friendly relationship so that the you feel compelled to buy in order to maintain the friendliness. It is wise to remember that you do not have to buy anything from a salesperson. You are entitled to ask him any question about the product or service and get a clear, complete answer. You could always tell the salesperson you need time to think about the matter for a few days, or that you want to discuss with other people who have purchased the product or service. You can walk away from a salesperson without a cordial end to the conversation. If a salesperson telephones, you do not need to listen to the person's entire "pitch" and respond to it courteously. You can always interrupt the person and state that you are not interested in the product or service. If this fails to end their call, you should simply hang up the telephone without saying anything. Remember that there are many salespersons who are genuinely interested in assisting customers by offering them reasonable products and prices. In doubt about a particular purchase, you may want to consult with another person who has had experience with the product or the business that interests you. If you receive unsolicited merchandise in the mail, you are not obligated to pay for it.