College and University Blog
Violence in College: How Safe Is Your Campus?
College campuses across the United States are facing the growing problem of violent crime on and off their campuses. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has determined a violent crime to be one of four offenses: 1) murder and non-negligent manslaughter, 2) forcible rape, 3) robbery, and 4) aggravated assault.
Awareness of violent crime on college campuses burst into the public’s consciousness with the reporting of several tragic cases in the 1980s. These incidents put to rest the long-cherished notion that colleges and universities are somehow cloistered enclaves – far removed from the threat of crime that haunts the rest of society.
Colleges are required by the federal government to keep crime statistics and to share them with students, faculty, and staff. The Campus Security Act was the first federal legislation to address the issue of crime on college campuses and reflects a national commitment to increase campus safety. The Act requires that institutions publish and distribute an annual report which describes security and law enforcement policies, crime prevention activities, procedures for reporting crimes on campus, and certain campus crime statistics. The Campus Sexual Assault Victims Bill of Rights requires institutions of higher education to develop and publish policies regarding the prevention and awareness of sex offenses and procedures for responding after a sex offense occurs as part of their campus security report. The Department of Education is responsible for the enforcement of the Campus Security Act and the Campus Sexual Assault Victims Bill of Rights. Failure to comply could mean the loss of federal funds, including student loan monies.
According to a US Secret Service study on shootings in schools, in three fourths of the cases, the assailant had told at least one other person in advance, and half had told more than one person. It is key that schools overcome this communication gap. The difference between the schools where shootings have taken place and where they have been prevented is that students – not administrators or faculty – reported the danger and the adults took action. A code of silence exists in too many schools