How students feel about campus safety at Farmingdale State College

By Kristen Rydzewski

Mar 23, 2026 (Photo/Kristen Rydzewski)

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – Farmingdale State College offers classes at many different times of the day. Late classes are convenient for students who are in need of a more flexible schedule. These night classes tend to end when the sun is already setting, and it begins to get dark outside. This makes students think about safety at Farmingdale State College’s campus, especially when walking back to the parking lot or dorms at a late hour. “I feel for the most part safe, but I feel like there could be more things put in place to fully help students feel safe,” said Alexa Marinuzzi, a senior Professional Communication student.

After speaking with students who live on campus and commute, they share similar feelings about Farmingdale’s campus safety. Overall, they feel safe on campus and are aware of some of the safety features the school has to offer. Students are aware of the emergency phone boxes located throughout the campus as well as the campus police, but they feel the safest in well-lit areas and when other students are around. There are certain areas on campus that the school can work on to make students feel safer, such as improving construction safety, lighting near certain sidewalks, and better awareness of the safety procedures Farmingdale State College has to offer.

Even though students generally feel safe on campus, some have had experiences that now make them more aware of their surroundings. Regina Frantzen, a senior business analytics student, lives on campus and discussed her overall feelings about campus safety. “I’ve had a few people follow me from the Campus Center to my dorm building,” Frantzen said. “I’ve had that happen twice, actually. I barely knew one of them, and I didn’t know the other at all.” Although a frightening experience, Frantzen said she still feels safe overall, especially in her dorm building. “You have to swipe your ID, go to the security booth, show them your ID, then they open the door for you,” said Frantzen.

Students are aware of the basic safety features Farmingdale State College has on campus, but many are not aware of other safety tools the school offers. The RAVE Guardian is a safety app that connects to Farmingdale State College’s University Police Department. Students can use this to send emergency alerts, share their location with campus police, and set timers that will notify police if they do not arrive at their destination safely. James Cowlishaw, a senior Professional Communications student who commutes to campus, said the school can do a better job of communicating these features to students. “I haven’t had to use them, but I’ve definitely had situations where if I had known about it, that definitely would have been beneficial,” said Cowlishaw.

Farmingdale State College’s official website provides useful resources that students can use to educate themselves on campus safety. More specifically, the Crime and Statistics page lists 10 simple suggestions that students, faculty, and staff should follow. Some tips include staying aware of your surroundings, staying in groups, and staying in public areas. Overall, students say they do feel safe navigating campus, but there are some areas that could use improvement. All three students who were interviewed shared similar advice to current and future students: “always be aware of your surroundings.”