Crime on college campuses goes up slightly

As millions of college students return to their classes following spring break, some will be disappointed to find that they had visitors while they were away—burglars. Crime on campus doesn’t necessarily take a break. In fact, the lack of students on campus may result in a rash of burglaries as criminals take advantage of fewer eyes to observe their larcen-ies. However, there is some solace in the fact that crime on campus nationwide is up only slightly.

Despite record enrollment at the nation’s colleges and universities, serious crimes committed on campus in 2002 rose less than 2 percent based upon reported criminal offenses as required by federal law under the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act.

Institutional Research & Evaluation, Inc., an independent educational research organization, compared on-campus crimes reported to the U.S. Department of Education at public and private, nonprofit, four-year institutions and compared them to the crimes reported in 2001.

There were a total of 34,573 serious crimes on the nation’s college campuses in 2002 as compared to 34,034 reported in 2001, a slight increase of 1.5 percent. They broke down as follows:

•23,136 burglaries

•4,511 motor vehicle thefts

•2,220 aggravated assaults

•2,200 forcible sex offenses

•1,503 robberies

•948 arsons

•21 murders

•32 non-forcible sex offenses

•2 negligent manslaughters

"Providing a safe campus environment is a primary concern of every college and university. Parents sending a child off to college this fall can and should get the most recent reports required under the Clery Act. Colleges are required to provide a copy of the three most recent years of crime on campus free of charge to anyone who requests it. All you have to do is ask," according to Lewis T. Lindsey, Jr., president of the educational consulting firm.

Students should always keep these basic safety tips in mind:

•Walk or park only in well-lighted areas. Illumination deters criminals.

•Lock your door. Many burglaries do not have forced entry; the thief just walks in.

•Leave expensive jewelry at home and etch your name and social security number prominently on all electronics, including stereos and computer equipment.

•Remember, most sex crimes occur between acquaintances and many involve the use of alcohol by the perpetrator, the victim or both.

•Don’t put yourself in a situation where you can become a victim.

"Students must assume most of the responsibility for their own safety. Even colleges with low crime rates can do just so much to protect their students," said Lindsey.

College-bound high school students and their parents can find a variety of useful resources at www.100bestcollegebuys.com.