“Don’t be a bystander; be proactive!” a Fresno City College student shouted from the crowd in Room 251 of the old administration building during a school safety awareness event on March 20.

Carole Goldsmith, FCC president, Sean Henderson, dean of students and Jose Flores, police chief of the State Center Community College District all agreed that students must play a larger role to keep the college and the community safe.

“There aren’t enough police to keep everyone safe,” Goldsmith said. “If students see something suspicious, they need to say something.”

Students need to be aware of their surroundings, Henderson said. “Many students have their face in their phones when walking. By doing that, students can trip, get lost or even get hit by a car.”

He recommends students get into their car and lock the doors before looking at their phones.

“If you dial 911, it doesn’t go to campus police; it goes to the Fresno police department,” Flores said. “You’ve got to know your location and where the incident is happening.”

Inter Club Council chair Kaura Lopez says that students can come to the Associated Student Government if they “have any ideas on how to help our student population learn how to be more active in safety situations.”

It is also the staff’s job to keep the campus safe, Gloria Flores, a student and staff member, said.

Flores said she was robbed at gunpoint only a block away from campus in late January and that the college authorities could have done more for her safety.

“Safety is the number one issue we have to work on for the campus,” she said. “Most students are not aware of safety resources the campus provides.”

An easy way for students to be informed of safety resources is to add it to every teacher’s syllabus, Flores said. Sending out mass emails to all students is another solution.

“The students depend on the staff,” Flores said. “And the staff needs to do their best to help them.”