{"id":5775,"date":"2024-04-16T20:49:31","date_gmt":"2024-04-16T20:49:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/?p=5775"},"modified":"2024-04-16T20:49:40","modified_gmt":"2024-04-16T20:49:40","slug":"students-approached-by-strangers-off-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.troy.edu\/trojanvision\/2024\/04\/16\/students-approached-by-strangers-off-campus\/","title":{"rendered":"Students approached by strangers off-campus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION<\/a>) \u2014 Two students claim they have been approached by a person who made them feel unsafe<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was walking into the Z-Tech to give them my cash,\u201d said Troy University senior Lilykate Gwin. “This lady pulls up in a car it stopped me she says \u2018Hey honey, do you like a lot of different kinds of music?\u2019 She seemed nice and I didn\u2019t want to be rude. So I said yes. She waved me over to come closer to her car and thankfully someone came up behind her to get out and honk their horn, so I just nicely said goodbye and ran inside.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gwin is not the only student who says they have been approached by a stranger at a gas station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RELATED NEWS: Safety measures you can take on TROY\u2019s campus<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was pumping by gas when a woman came around the and asked if I had any dollars to spare for her to get gas,\u201d said freshman Liz Smith “She said she just needed enough to get out of town. When I told her that I had no cash she insisted that I put it on my credit card. I\u2019ve never felt unsafe on campus or in Troy so I was really just in shock that this was even happening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although both situations happened outside of Troy University’s campus, the Troy University Police Department<\/a> (TUPD) encourages students to contact authorities if they feel unsafe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBe verbal, your voice is one of your biggest weapons,\u201d said TUPD Sgt. Rachel Farmer. “You tell the individual to stay back. Tell them no, I don\u2019t want you in my space. If that person is still a threat, and they don\u2019t move, that\u2019s when you need to be on your phone and you need to be contacting the police. Don\u2019t hesitate if you\u2019ve told someone to stay back and get away from you to contact the police.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MORE: Troy University Police Department teaches active shooter safety<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contact information for the Troy Police Department and TUPD can be found below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n