Written by Catherine Winters
Montclair State University is pretty safe. The campus is surrounded by suburbs, so there aren't many people walking around or visiting other than students. And since most students don’t live on campus, there aren't many people walking around at night or on the weekends. Overall, it is safe to walk around campus at all times, but the only places to watch out for are the vast stretches of parking lot, which are not lit well and are very sparse at night. There is also construction going on in that area right now, which backs up traffic, making it dangerous during the day. Also, The Village, Hawk Crossings, and Sinatra Hall are right along Clove Road, which can be tircky to walk along if you aren't careful. Normal Avenue toward Valley Road is also a particularly dangerous intersection, mostly because of the large number of cars and traffic pattern.
As far as the Health Center goes, it's great when it’s open. Although sometimes the staff cannot help and they often have to send students home if they have a particularly contagious illness, the Health Center offers many services. You can also get many medications from the Health Center, which is convenient. However, the Health Center closes pretty early on weekdays and isn’t open at all on Saturday or Sunday, so try not to get sick at night or on the weekend! Sometimes it is hard to get an appointment, but in case of an emergency, MSU has its own rescue squad. There are also sexual assault services and psychological counseling available on campus.