By Don McHoull
Napping on a campus can be hazardous to your health, warns Ryerson security.
In a notice circulated around campus this week, security warned students that sleeping at the university can leave them open to theft, assault or the risk of fire.
“Students don’t realize that they’re putting themselves at risk by sleeping on campus,” said Lawrence Robinson, manager of campus security.
Ryerson security’s policy on people sleeping on campus is to wake them up, and encourage them to remain awake.
Officers said they rouse students every day, and Robinson says they sometimes are a bit grumpy about being roused from their slumber.
“When we come around and wake them up, they sometimes get a bit upset,” said Robinson. “They tell us that they’re tired because they didn’t get enough chance to sleep at home because they were doing school work.”
Campus snoozing leaves students vulnerable to theft, Robinson said.
In December, half of all students reporting thefts were asleep when their property was stolen.
In one case, Robinson says a student woke up in the library to find his cash and credit cards had been stolen out of his pockets while he was asleep.
“A person can be stealing from you when you’re sleeping, and you might not even realize it,” Robinson said.
Sleeping leaves students open to more than just theft.
“We had some cases a couple of years ago where someone was doing indecent things in front of students who were sleeping,” said Robinson.
Fire is also a danger for people taking naps.
“In most cases the alarm bell may wake people up, but if you’re in an area where there is smoke creeping in, you might not notice,” said Robinson.
Another reason for security wake ups is the fear that a person suffering from a medical problem and are unconscious.
If students are sleepy, Robinson recommends getting off campus.
“If someone is tired they should really go home,” he said. “Other than the residences, there’s really no secure sleeping spots on campus.”
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