El Camino College students have the right to feel safe on campus, but how can they if they don’t know what those rights are to begin with?

The college could create a culture of safety on its campus by better promoting the means students can use to defend themselves, from what tools they can carry to the classes they can enroll in. In this issue’s Campus Viewpoints, students and faculty attending classes after 8 p.m. were asked about campus safety after hours.

The viewpoints revealed that students and faculty employ a variety of methods to stay safe, from walking in groups to being aware of their surroundings to carrying items that can be used to defend themselves, if the situation calls for it.

At least five individuals, all women, said they carry pepper spray.

According to California state law, anyone can purchase and use pepper spray as long as they are not a felon and it is being used as a means of self-defense.

However, El Camino College’s policy is less clear.

If someone types “can you carry pepper spray at El Camino College” into the Google search bar, the first result they see is an artificial-intelligence generated response stating that “No, you cannot carry pepper spray at El Camino College.”

It then links the user to an April 2024 article published by The Union student newspaper.

In the article, former police chief Michael Trevis said that weapons including tasers, stun guns and pepper spray are a “liability to permit use on campus.”

Despite the former chief’s policy, pepper spray was never officially prohibited to use as far back as 2016.

“Pepper spray, tear gas under two and a half ounces is allowed by law,” current ECC Police Chief Matthew Vander Horck said.

He also added that kubaton keychains and noise makers such as Birdie devices are okay to bring as well.

As ECC moves into the midterms season, students feeling stressed out can become vulnerable. Stress and other distractions including listening to music with earbuds can negatively affect a person’s ability to pay attention to their surroundings.

The ECCPD released its annual Clery Act report, a list of crimes reported in the last year and information about campus safety services Wednesday, Oct. 1.

This report includes a chapter on General Risk Reduction for a variety of scenarios including “On Campus” and “On the Street… While Walking.”

The “On Campus” tips do not mention carrying pepper spray, while “On the Street” does.

It gives the impression that students can’t carry it while on campus, but they could on the sidewalks that borders its perimeter.

ECC should better promote a culture of campus safety by making clear what students can do to protect themselves by clarifying what they are allowed to bring on campus as well as by better promoting classes such as PE-219A, which teaches basic self-defense.

Here at The Union, we encourage our readers to practice situational awareness and to take matters of personal safety into their own hands.

Whether you are walking back to your car with classmates or making sure that a 2.5 oz canister of pepper spray is safely tucked into your pocket, stay safe these midterms and beyond.