Parent Information

Unfortunately, crime is a part of every community. We try our best to make Indiana Tech and the surrounding area as safe as possible. If you ever have questions or concerns, we are here to help in any way that we can.

Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne is one of the safest cities to live in Indiana – in fact we were voted the 5^th safest city in the entire state by AdvisorSmith in 2021. According to that publication, violent crime is only 14.3 per 1,000 residents with the Indiana average being at 18.2 per thousand¹.

Campus

Indiana Tech campus has security guards available 24/7/365. There are always at least two on campus: one patrolling on foot and another in the security booth monitoring the dozens of cameras. Each building has the contact information of the security office listed. Our entire campus is also designed with safety pillars that have buttons to immediately call campus security and the local emergency dispatchers to the location.

All residence hall entrances are monitored by cameras and are secure locked. You must have a resident code on your student ID in order to enter the building or be let in by a resident. In addition to this, all dorm rooms have a completely unique key.

We also offer a Campus Escort Program. This is available for any student on campus after dark. All you need to do is notify via phone the campus security and they will escort you to your car.

Tips

As with anything, using common sense and avoiding dangerous situations is the easiest way to stay safe. We suggest the following tips for keeping safe:

• Trust your instincts. A majority of resources have confirmed that the gut feeling you get is accurate. If something feels wrong, it probably is!
• Do not walk alone at night. Dark is the primetime for any crime. Avoid being alone at night, especially in poorly lit areas. Use the buddy system or call for a campus escort.
• Use locks – both in your apartment/dorm and your car. Most crime in Fort Wayne is theft, so make sure you are locking your living area as well as your car. Burglars are more likely to take from easy places, so make it harder for them by keeping everything locked. And this is when you are home too!
• Avoid getting drunk at parties or with strangers. Losing control or awareness makes you an easier target. By keeping your senses about you, you are helping to keep yourself safe. It’s also important to remember to never let your drink out of your sight as people can take advantage with drugs or adding more alcohol to your cup.
• Save emergency contacts in your phone. Just in case you are in an emergency, saving the people who should be contacted is important. We suggest parents and a friend who lives in the area. Also consider sharing your family contact information with a trusted friend, just in case (and vice versa).
• Don’t leave important documents out in the open (or your car). Important documents should be kept someplace safe to avoid them being stolen. Keeping your passport, I-20, and Social Security Card in a safe spot where you will remember. Do not keep these items in your car.
• Do not share your Social Security Number. If you obtain a SSN while in the United States, it’s incredibly important to keep that information private. The SSN is used for all financial items and you can get into a big headache of a situation if someone steals your identity. Only share this information with important people. Generally, your SSN is only needed once for employment, opening a bank account, getting a loan, or filing taxes. Some physicians might also keep that information on file as well for a safe identification method.
• Avoid carrying large amounts of money. In a situation that you lose your money or leave your wallet someplace, or absolute worse case scenario, are robbed, you want to make sure you don’t have all of your money with you at the moment. Avoid having large amounts of money on you at a time. Generally, people don’t have over a hundred USD in their wallet at a given time.
• Report any incidents. It is important that you report any theft, assault, crime, or worrying situations to someone. We highly suggest reporting to a trusted Indiana Tech employee or the police. Involving the police in stolen items is important to make sure that there is both a paper trail and way to potentially get your lost item back. If you are harmed or assaulted, report the incident immediately.

Climate

Indiana is part of the Midwest where summers are hot and humid while winters are cold and windy. We have four distinct seasons. Due to this, special care should be given to pack to be prepared for each season, although many items can be bought when you arrive.

The average temperatures for the seasons are:

For the wintertime packing, we suggest warm clothing and a thick/warm winter coat. If you have winter gloves, a hat, and a warm scarf, those would also make great additions to your packing list, however, these can be purchased when you arrive. Packing layers is a great choice to be fully ready for your time in Fort Wayne.

Lifestyle

An awesome resource for learning about Fort Wayne is the VisitFortWayne website. This has a ton of information and lists local events. There is always something going on around the city, so check out the Event Calendar for something that might excite you!

Professional sports are a very big source of pride in Fort Wayne. We have great minor league professional teams:

• Tin Caps (baseball)
• Komets (ice hockey)
• Mad Ants (basketball)
• Derby Girls (roller derby)

In terms of entertainment, we have multiple museums and art galleries a short walk from campus in Fort Wayne’s art district. Some of these include the Botanical Conservatory, Artlink Gallery, Castle Gallery, Chief Richardville House, Diocesan Museum, Museum of Art, History Center, Orchard Gallery, and Science Central.

Fort Wayne is also home to one of the top ten zoos in the United States. Open only during the warmer months, the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo is a must visit place!

As like every city, we have multiple shopping malls, shops and movie theatres. Each summer there are numerous festivals and fairs to experience. We also have over 125 miles of connected trails around and throughout the city to walk, bike, or explore. The winter also has an outdoor ice-skating rink!

Founded in 2018 by Indiana Tech’s “first Mom,” Maria Einolf, the Indiana Tech Warrior Family Association (WFA) connects Indiana Tech families with news and information about life on campus, in and out of the classroom. The WFA also offers parents and other family members tips and resources for how to help their students succeed at Indiana Tech.

The Warrior Family Association publishes a monthly newsletter for Indiana Tech families, friends and university faculty and staff members. It also hosts events on campus to help Tech families and friends get better connected to the university community. 

If your parents would like to sign up for the newsletter, they will need to enter their email address HERE. 

• Magadoo Asian Grocery
  • Asian (Burmese)
  • 5945 N Clinton St (46825)
• George’s International Market
  • Hispanic, Bakery, Produce
  • 2021 Broadway (46802)
• Asian Market
  • Asian (Thai)
  • 2615 S Calhoun St (46807)
• Almadenah Halal Meat Market
  • Middle Eastern (Halal Options)
  • 1010 W Coliseum Blvd (46808)
• Antonuccio’s Italian Market
  • Italian, Pasta
  • 4011 S Wayne Ave (46807)
• Hungry Asian Market (Formerly Oriental Market)
  • Korean, Japanese
  • 504 Noble Dr (46825)
• Fort Wayne Halal Meat & Groceries
  • Middle Eastern, Indian (Halal Options)
  • 2326 Hobson Rd (46805)
• Lake Avenue Market
  • Middle Eastern, Deli (Halal Options)
  • 1732 Lake Ave (46805)

There are quite a few restaurants in Fort Wayne and a large amount of these are international cuisine. With plenty of food to explore, we want to give a good starting point for your time here. Below is an alphabetical list of some of the staff favorite restaurants.

• Al Amish (Mexican, Tacos)
• Aladdin Food Express (Burmese, Halal)
• Antonucio’s Italian Market (Italian)
• Asakusa (Japanese, Hibachi)
• Bahn Mi Barista (Thai)
• Bangkok Bistro (Thai)
• Burmese Halal Restaurant (Halal)
• Casa Ristorante (Italian)
• Cebolla’s (Mexican)
• China Buffet (Chinese)
• China House (Chinese)
• Double Dragon (Chinese)
• El Salvador Restaurant (Salvadorian)
• Halal Eats (Middle Eastern)
• Hopsing’s (Chinese)
• King Gyros (Greek)
• Koto (Japanese, Sushi)
• Nawa (Asian)
• Nine House (Burmese)
• Nori Asian Fusion
• Pho Indy (Vietnamese)
• Ryu’s Kitchen (Korean)
• Shoccu (Japanese, Sushi)
• Taj Mahal (Indian)
• A Taste of India (Indian)
• Zianos (Italian)

Not only are there a lot of restaurants, but there is also a healthy population of food trucks in the area. There are often gatherings throughout the week where you can get some delicious food at various places around the city.

Our team does have a handbook that details many different items. A lot of the information is covered during

Indiana Tech’s campus offers a variety of activities throughout the year. We have over 100 activities scheduled throughout the school year and try our best to get everyone involved. Online you can view our interactive map, but during orientation we do take students on a campus tour.

Indiana Tech does boast an on-campus movie theatre, fitness center, staff nurse, mental health experts, bowling alley, yoga courses, and large recreation center.

In addition to our competitive athletic teams, we do have a number of student organizations and intermural programs and even some club sports. Please note that these organizations don’t qualify for additional scholarships as those only come from academics or school sport teams.

We consider the “Visa & Immigration” section to be one of the most helpful links for students to prepare for their visa interviews. All students will need the I-20 and most will need a visa. (Note: Canadian students will need the I-20 but not a visa.)

Once you start as a student, we have a special resources section for our most commonly asked questions which will help you settle into Fort Wayne. Our “Resource” page is constantly being updated with the most accurate information.

Our team does have a handbook that details many different items. A lot of the information is covered during orientation, but you can view the Handbook if you are interested further about settling in Indiana Tech or how the culture might differ in Indiana. All of this can be read online here.