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Kingston man charged after using lost bank card for purchases

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Wilkes-Barre man suspected of intoxication and driving with a suspended license refused Breathalyzer

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Wilkes University student Kate Sarver, 21, plans off-campus shopping trips for daylight hours.</p><p>Fellow pharmacy major Tanner Dresch, 21, would round up friends if he wanted to visit Movies 14 at night.</p><p>As for Misericordia University&#8217;s Tori Dziedziak, 21, she&#8217;s vigilant about never leaving a drink untended, even a water bottle. &#8220;I always have my hand on that,&#8221; she said.</p><p>That said, all of these students say they feel safe on their respective campuses.</p><p>Dziedziak, a psychology major/organizational management major who hails from the small town of Shenandoah, said Misericordia&#8217;s campus in bucolic Dallas Township has such an atmosphere of safety that &#8220;Some people will put down their wallet and phone to save a seat in the cafeteria.&#8221;</p><p>She and two of her schoolmates, Omar Clark, 21, from Long Island, New York, and Michael Pheasant, 21, from East Stroudsburg, believe they wouldn&#8217;t feel quite so secure at an urban campus, yet some students from Wilkes University in downtown Wilkes-Barre said they aren&#8217;t overly worried about becoming victims of a crime.</p><p>By taking a few precautions, they said, you can decrease the likelihood.</p><p>&#8220;Say your residence hall is at one end of campus and you have a night class (a few blocks away) or have to go to the library,&#8221; said Dresch, who is from Lebanon, Pennsylvania. &#8220;You can call security and they&#8217;ll either pick you up and give you a ride or walk with you.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I was very happy they put in the crosswalk,&#8221; said Sarver, who is from North Rose, New York. She was referring to Wilkes University&#8217;s new Gateway, a raised crosswalk designed to discourage passing motorists from speeding, thus increasing pedestrian safety for students and non-students alike. &#8220;And I always plan to walk in groups,&#8221; she added.</p><p>Local schools have systems in place to send text alerts to students in the event of a dangerous situation and students can use apps on their phones to notify campus authorities about problems they encounter.</p><p>&#8220;We still have call boxes,&#8221; Bob Zavada from Misericordia&#8217;s campus safety office said, &#8220;but they know technology. Kids are more apt to hit a button on their cell phone than use a call box.&#8221;</p><p>What other advice can upperclassman give to new students about safety?</p><p>&#8220;I can go up to a freshman and say &#8216;You can have a lot of fun on this campus without drinking&#8217;,&#8221; said Pheasant, who is a biology/pre-med major.</p><p>He and Clark both play football and both avoid alcohol. Nobody makes fun of them for that, said Clark, who is studying psychology and biology. &#8220;We&#8217;re just an accepting kind of campus.&#8221;</p><p>Women are statistically more likely than men to become victims of a sexual assault, and Dziedziak acknowledged that&#8217;s why she feels it&#8217;s important to make sure nobody can slip any kind of drug into her drink, which is most likely water.</p><p>Getting involved with campus clubs or sports is much better for your overall safety than going to a keg party, she said. &#8220;The busier you are, the less trouble you&#8217;re likely to have.&#8221;</p><p>Explaining they advise under-age underclassmen to obey the law and not drink, Dresch and Sarver at Wilkes said their school has specific rules limiting the amount of alcohol that even a person 21 or older can have in a room. That cuts down on the possibility for a big party, Dresch said, and alleviates some potential problems.</p><p>Campus officials also spread the word that everyone &#8212; students, faculty and staff &#8212; can help keep a campus safer by being alert and looking out for other people.</p><p>&#8220;We all share in the responsibility,&#8221; Dresch said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Students walk along the new Gateway on the campus of Wilkes University on a recent evening in Wilkes-Barre. The Gateway connects several blocks of the campus and features a raised crosswalk that increases safety for pedestrians. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_passageway.jpg</photo0><caption0>Students walk along the new Gateway on the campus of Wilkes University on a recent evening in Wilkes-Barre. The Gateway connects several blocks of the campus and features a raised crosswalk that increases safety for pedestrians. </caption0><photoCredit0>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_triathlon.questions.miserisafe-008.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Misericordia University students Tori Dziedziak, from small-town Shenandoah, Omar Clark from big-city Long Island and Michael Pheasant from &#8216;in-between&#8217; East Stroudsburg, have some advice about safety to offer underclassman. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_triathlon.questions.miserisafe-008.jpg</photo1><caption1>Misericordia University students Tori Dziedziak, from small-town Shenandoah, Omar Clark from big-city Long Island and Michael Pheasant from &#8216;in-between&#8217; East Stroudsburg, have some advice about safety to offer underclassman. </caption1><photoCredit1>Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Students at Wilkes University, Misericordia Univesity, offer safety tips underclassmen can use