At a school with more than 40,000 students, keeping each person safe may seem like quite a feat for Penn State police and administration. Luckily, Penn State offers a variety of resources that both improve student safety measures and provide assistance during emergencies.

Here are a few of the important safety resources you should be familiar with on a daily basis:

Campus Safe Walk

Students who feel unsafe walking on campus can find support in the Penn State Safe Walk Service. By calling 814-865-WALK, students and employees can request for an auxiliary police officer to accompany them from one location to another. Locations are limited to on-campus and off-campus sites within a reasonable distance. The Safe Walk Service is available from dusk until dawn, 365 days per year.

Blue Light Emergency Phones

These can go easily unnoticed during the day, but these devices can prove crucial in an emergency situation. Once activated, the phones connect the caller directly to the university police to alert them of an immediate threat or concern. The officer will then direct the call to the appropriate emergency personnel. You can find these emergency phones atop the blue poles around campus, within residence halls, and inside buildings across campus.

Night Map

If you’re trekking back to your room late at night, it’s important to have a safe path planned out in advance. Campus police have created a night map for this purpose; it highlights recommended on-campus sidewalks and roads for traveling after dark. The map also marks each emergency phone location, as well as buildings with 24-hour security personnel.

Good Samaritan Laws

The Good Samaritan Laws — passed in Pennsylvania in 2014 — provide amnesty to those who request assistance for another when acting in good faith. Essentially, this means the law will protect you from getting in trouble if you call 911 for an intoxicated friend.

It’s important to note the law only protects the individual who has made the call as long as they remain with the individual until help arrives. The law does not protect other parties present at the location who may be participating in illegal activity.

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Hopefully you’ll never have to use them yourself, but the availability of these resources demonstrates Penn State’s commitment to ensuring safety at all times. For additional information, you can visit the Penn State University Police & Public Safety website.