'Campus Night Out' event focuses on student safety

L. Reidar Jensen The 'Flu Bug,' portrayed by Penn State senior Lauren Zaun, handed out stickers and hand sanitizer to students at Thursday's 'Campus Night Out' event. Sponsored by the University Park Undergraduate Association, the event highlighted various aspects of campus safety. Click on the image above for more photos of the event.

On Thursday evening, Penn State students heard from various groups promoting campus safety at the Campus Night Out event on the HUB-Robeson Center lawn. Sponsored by the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA), Campus Night Out was designed to highlight campus safety and inform students about safety issues affecting them, from the flu to sexual assault.

Event coordinator Christian Ragland, student life and diversity chairman for UPUA, said the event was designed to heighten students' awareness of safety and security issues facing them.

"We're trying to find ways to counter things that go against campus safety," Ragland said.

Among the student groups distributing information at the event were University Health Services, the Student Red Cross Club, Soka Gakkai International, and Pennsylvania Power Shift. There also were officers from the Penn State and State College police departments distributing information to students, and an official from the Centre Region Council of Governments was on hand teaching students how to properly use a fire extinguisher. Later in the evening the executive director of the Women's Resource Center addressed the crowd, along with other officials.

To see photos from the event, visit http://live.psu.edu/stilllife/2166 online.