Written by Luanna Azulay
UMBC is a safe campus. All students receive an e-mail any time a crime occurs on campus, and they can also choose to receive text messages in emergency situations. The UMBC police are available 24 hours—they are always on guard, ready to help any students in need and protect them whenever necessary. The staff includes sworn police officers, student marshals, and communications specialists. UMBC is the sort of campus where students can walk around late at night and still feel safe—some students have even reported feeling more safe here than in their own homes. Thefts are so uncommon here that some students will leave expensive property in common areas of campus and come back four or five hours later to find it in the same place (although this, of course, is never recommended).
University Health Services provides health care and educational services to all students, faculty, and staff. UHS offers diagnosis and treatment of injuries and illnesses, immunizations, preventive gynecological care, pharmacy services for prescriptions including birth control, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, and even acupuncture and therapeutic massage, among other services. Unfortunately, if you get ill when the office is closed, you may have to take a trip to the local hospital, St. Agnes, which may mean hours of wait. The student nickname for St. Agnes’s is “St. Agony,” a nod to the distress you’ll be in until they get around to you.