Party in the House: Safety Rules When Going Out

Imagine walking at night from a party or event, on an open road, the breeze is fluttering, and the lights are dim in the street. You walk briskly knowing that you are by yourself, but you start to hear heavy footsteps pacing toward you. Your mind starts to race with thoughts of terror and nervousness.

To avoid any issues or to protect yourself, you should always travel to the party with a friend. Some friends have rules when walking into a party with them.

Kierra Gooch, a sophomore nursing major expresses some of the rules her friend group have while planning to go out. Her first one is to stay together at all times. At parties, many women tend to have too much fun and separate easily from their friends. It’s up to all girls to stick with their friends at least until it is decided the night is over.

Gooch’s second rule is to not leave your drink unattended; you watch it or get another one. Date rape is common in areas like clubs or parties. In the U.S., 43.6% of women, nearly 52.2 million, experienced some form of contact with sexual violence in their lifetime, according to the 2015 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey.

Her lady rule is to make sure there is recognition to all the exits just in case something happens. In the party scene, things happen fast and the last thing needed is not being able to find an immediate exit just in case of an emergency.

Most men usually are very chill at these events. Is there a guy code for these events?

Kaleb Brown, a freshman, vocalized his views on going to parties with friends. He says that his friends mostly must decide who is going to be the “designated driver” for the group. The designated driver is mostly the caretaker of the group and is supposed to monitor all friends as they indulge in party activities. He also made a similar statement to Gooch’s about keeping the group together.

A first-year student, Dynel Turner, majoring in social work has rules for her friend group and herself. She tells herself to not get intoxicated too much because she wants to be aware of her surroundings, and keep an eye on the people she came with. She also believes she should carry weapons like pepper spray to a party. Weapons are not allowed for safety reasons, but Dynel feels she may need something like that just in case of an altercation. She also decides to book a Lyft for the night for her friends because drunk driving isn’t condoned.

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