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Cathy Steinberg, CathySteinberg.com, Jasmine Benjamin, Murder, The Fabulous Girl's Guide to being Fearless, Valdosta State University
This lovely girl you see here is Jasmine Benjamin. Jasmine was a 17 yr old freshman at Valdosta State University in Georgia. Jasmine was murdered at her campus dorm on November 18th. She was discovered on a couch in the common study room area.
While initially the authorities thought it was a death due to natural causes, we now know she was murdered. The question is, how did this happen? How did someone kill her in a common area of a dormitory? Was it someone who lived there? A fellow student perhaps? What it a stranger who broke into the dorm? Was this person her guest? Or someone else’s guest? The questions are endless..
College can be a fantastic experience in a person’s life. It is truly the start of an amazing life for the students there deciding who they will become. BUT…there are risks and dangers in colleges and universities. For most of the students it is their first taste of freedom. It is the first time they are truly on their own and unsupervised by their parents. A good percentage of them will innocently engage in risky behaviors and overlook their safety.
Here are a few safety tips:
- Always be aware of your surroundings.
- Do not allow strangers into your dorm
- Do not prop the entrance door open for convenience
- If you notice a stranger or suspect something isn’t right, notify the Resident Coordinator, Resident Assistant or Campus Security immediately.
- Notify the Resident Coordinator if you have lost your key. (pay the fine and choke it up. Don’t let others potentially get hurt because of your mistake)
- Don’t hold the door open for a stranger who asks you to hold the door for him/her (might seem rude but it’s better to be safe than sorry.)
Keep in mind your safety comes first. Enjoy your time in college!
Being from Georgia this story has been in the headlines a lot. It’s so sad. I am glad you made the post and put the list of things to make girls or boys safe at college. It’s scary how often things like this happen in our colleges. College should be a safe place for higher learning and coming of age, not murder investigations.
You are absolutely right. It is a shame this happened. I hope the university addressed the issue of safety very quickly. I would hate for parents to pull their kids out because they fear the school isn’t doing enough to protect them.