How Safe Are College Campuses?
Tuesday February 19, 2008
With the recent shootings at Northern Illinois University and the still recent memory of the Virginia Tech tragedy, many parents and college-bound students are worried about campus safety. The good news is that nearly all colleges have their own security personnel, emergency call boxes, and emergency response plans. Actual murders on campus get lots of play in the media, but they are extremely rare. This is partly because colleges are usually quick to intervene when a student displays violent, criminal, or disturbing behavior.
That said, not all schools are equal. If you want to find out how safe a particular school is, Security on Campus provides a quick way to check. Simply type in a school’s name and you can get a tally of all crimes committed over the past three years. From liquor law violations to sexual assault to murder, these statistics give you a good snapshot of a campus’s safety and security track record.
photo by Stephen Witherden / Flickr
Comments
Students should always be aware of their surroundings and know where the call boxes are on campus as they walk, they should also be aware of any news or crime that is being reported on campus. Any student and parent should be aware of the Jeanne Clery act which states that a college must supply crime statistics for their campus and before going to that college know what happens there.