The sexual assault that occurred on Jan. 14 brings up questions about just how safe this "safe haven" of State College really is. The rape occurred a block away from the State College Police Department's station. The victim could just have easily been you.

The University, students, residents and police must all take steps to prevent future attacks.

One idea that the University must look into is providing students with an optional alarm system, something that other universities already provide. Students pay a certain amount for the system and they receive a beeper that can set off an alarm, summoning the police.

From people taking the initiative and calling the escort services, to friends walking home together, there are many things people can do to lessen their chances of being raped.

The police provide a map that shows the areas on and off campus that are best lit for walking home at night. If students get a copy of the map and use those areas, they lessen their chances of being assulted.

There are many self-defense courses students could take to prepare themselves if attacked. Both residents and students can get together to bring more lights to some of the darker areas off campus.

The borough could also help the situation by providing call boxes in the downton area so that if rapes do occur, they can be reported quickly to the police.

The State College area is safer than many of our country's cities, but there are still reasons to be cautious. Although it may be impossible to eliminate all the dangerous individuals, it is possible to prevent them from having such easy access to their victims.