Dear Concerned Parent,

The experiences your daughter has encountered while running or walking in and around campus can be pretty frightening for both you and her. Some suggestions she might want to try are to: run or walk with a friend, especially at night, and utilize the campus safety programs. One of NIU's safety programs on campus is the Huskie Patrol. The Huskie patrol is a student organization who will send out a group of two or more students to walk another student to their campus location between 6pm and 2am on weekdays. The number for the Huskie patrol is: 753-2222. 

There are also a couple of indoor tracks on campus. One is located in the Recreation Center and the other is located in the Chick Evans Field House. Your daughter could call the Rec center or look up the information on the NIU home page for times and availability. 

Unfortunately, there are no self-defense courses that are being offered either on campus or in the community at this time, but the Rec center does offer classes in Karate. I would also suggest that your daughter report any incidences such as these to the NIU or DeKalb police department, who can possibly help in other ways as well, and if she wants to talk to someone, she is always welcome to come speak with a counselor at the Counseling and Student Development Center.

Sincerely,

Barb Wired