Because we live on a college campus, we sometimes forget that we must all practice safety habits. When I go to class, it doesn't occur to me that crimes are committed all around campus. Although the UTPD is supposed to keep us safe, it is a two-way street. All students must be aware of their own safety as well.

A place that students must remember to watch out for their own safety is in the Fort. The Fort is the place where most parties are, many students live and lately where many crimes have been committed.

Jesse Dalton lived in the Fort for two years while he was a student at UT. He graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering this past summer. Dalton lived in Fort Sanders Manor across from the Ronald McDonald House.

"The area I was in was one of the nicer areas. It was off campus, but still close enough to campus for me to walk," he said. He often walked home alone, but he did not feel unsafe doing this. Dalton lived with his sister for one of his two years in the Fort.

Wherever you go, grab a buddy or five."When my sister lived there and she had to walk home late from the library, I would just go there and pick her up," said Dalton. He understood that he needed to take precautions because, while he felt safe, he wanted to make sure his sister was taken care of as well.

One night, Dalton actually saw a man breaking into cars from his apartment window. He went outside and confronted the man while he was at someone's car door. Dalton checked to see if the man had anything and saw he had something in his hand. Dalton asked for what the man had in his hand and the man immediately began to run away.

The chase was on. Dalton chased him for a while and then the man dropped what was a case full of CDs. Apparently the man had stolen the CDs out of one of the cars. Dalton then went to each apartment in his building trying to find the owner of the stolen CDs.

Now, this story of an extremely good Samaritan is quite out of the ordinary. Although Dalton went completely out of his way to stop the thief, it was unsafe. I still can't believe he actually did all that.

The increase in crime has made everyone nervous: students and faculty. Taking precautions is not a bad idea. Students received the weekly newsletter that lists events happening around campus on Monday. In the newsletter it stated that the UT police were going to beef up the number of patrol cars in Fort Sanders. They also stressed the importance of locking your doors and to use the T bus system whenever you can.

Remember: there is safety in numbers. Wherever you go, grab a buddy or five. Amidst all of these crimes, I don't think anyone would be upset by a request for a drop-off at an apartment, especially if we're talking friends. This is something that all the students must face as a team so everyone on campus is kept safe.