Representatives from the El Camino College student government, Police Department and Student Health Services came together to share information about student safety resources during a Nov. 13 presentation in the Distance Education Building.
Topics included emergency text notifications, filing reports for students in distress and free counseling services.
“We wanted to offer students, all students, just a way to feel safe and understand what resources they can access,” Associated Students Organization Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Andres Osorio said.
Osorio hosted the in-person event Monday afternoon. The event was streamed live on Instagram, where 36 people joined.
During the presentation, Police Chief Michael Trevis and Sgt. Ruben Lopez shared safety tips for students, including emergency phones, blue poles and the Nixle emergency text notification system.
Students who sign up for Nixle receive emergency alerts, safety advisories and campus watch notifications.
Students can sign up by texting ECCPD to 888-777.
The officers advised students not to leave their electronic devices unattended and to avoid emails from unknown senders due to the high increase in phishing scams.
“Please, please, if you don’t know the email, don’t answer it,” Trevis said.
Eryka Tyler, mental health coordinator for Student Health Services, demonstrated how to file a report for the Warrior Safety Network. The network is a team dedicated to assessing threatening and concerning behavior on campus.
Students can file an online report found on the El Camino website to address any individual who is in distress, exhibiting concerning behaviors or requires basic needs services.
Tyler said The Warrior Safety Network will then review these reports and make sure individuals get the help they need.
“On average, the team receives about three to four reports per week addressing suicidal ideations, personal issues, basic needs and other concerns,” Tyler said. “Especially with [the COVID-19 pandemic], it’s been kind of hard for students to navigate [mental health], so I think it’s good that there’s a support system.”
Student Health Services coordinator Susan Nilles spoke about several benefits available for students from the $26 health fee they pay each semester.
Students can visit a licensed psychologist up to six times per semester in addition to TimelyCare, a 24-hour mental health counseling service with no waitlist.
Although the Student Health Center is not open for 24 hours, TimelyCare services are always available, in addition to campus police.
“You always have somebody on this campus,” Nilles said.
Nilles’ goal is to get the waitlist for in-person counseling appointments down to zero. The current waitlist is at seven people.
“When students make an appointment, depending on their availability, it can take up to one week to secure a spot,” Nilles said. “I find the more traumatic [a student’s] history is, the more they’re wanting to see somebody in person.”
Student Health Services is hosting several wellness workshops and events this semester, including Meditation Mondays and Understanding and Coping with Anxiety and Depression workshops.
Further information about these events is available on the El Camino website.
Osorio said ASO will also be hosting more events this semester at no cost to students, including Finals Madness in December.
As it was his first time hosting this presentation, Osorio said he would like to do it again to keep students informed of ways to stay safe on campus.
“If you need access to these resources, come talk to ASO and we’ll redirect you to all these people who are willing to help you,” he said.
