Safe and Sound

Erin BowenIt's not solely about walking home alone late at night. It's not simply isolated acts of violence. It's not only stolen laptops and missing iPhones. It's not about extra locks on the door or placing security cameras at every turn. When it comes to campus safety, pinpointing exact problems and writing up the magic prescription is not always possible.For a campus nestled in southwestern Ohio with approximately 16,000 students, Miami University's biggest challenge concerning campus safety may be shedding the feeling of invincibility.To Richard Nault, vice president of student affairs, convincing students to be concerned about safety is an ominous challenge."I think when people are 19, 20, 21 (years old), there is a sense of invincibility," Nault said. "At Miami, we are in a small town that is very idyllic."Susan Mosley-Howard, associate vice president and dean of students, echoed Nault's sentiments, saying that a perceived sense of safety is a double-edged sword for Miami's administration."I think students feel safe at Miami," Mosley-Howard said. "Generally, this is a safe place. We can be lulled into thinking that we don't have to take normal precautions."Measuring upIn wake of the near one-year anniversary of the tragedy at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and the losses at Northern Illinois University from the February shooting, scrutiny has been placed on colleges and universities to examine their campus safety and security policies.Nault said nearly every college campus across the country is working to improve safety protocol."Both instances (VA Tech and NIU) were so tragic and horrific," Nault said. "All campuses are second guessing, asking 'Are we doing enough?'"A February 2008 Reader's Digest Campus Safety Survey evaluated 135 top colleges and universities based on 19 variables concerning safety and security measures, including the number of students, percentage of dorm room with self-locking doors, full time security, smoke detectors and other emergency prevention programs. Each school was given a ranking and a grade of A, B or C.Out of 135 universities, Miami's Oxford campus placed 104th with a C grade. The survey reported that zero percent of Miami students live in a dorm with a security camera or an attendant although 100 percent of dorms have full-time security and doors with peepholes or chains. Additionally, the survey reported that blue light phones protect 35 percent of campus, and a partial emergency lock-down plan is in place.When comparing Miami to other schools, Mosley-Howard was optimistic despite the Reader's Digest ranking."I think we are probably consistent with what other universities are doing and how they are approaching (campus safety)," Mosley-Howard said.Mosley-Howard said Miami recently participated in a Webinar, an online seminar hosted by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administration, which linked multiple universities together to compare strategies and tactics for improving safety. According to Mosley-Howard, university communications, business affairs offices and MUPD participated in the seminar.She said the seminar showed that Miami's current safety programs were in line with several other universities.As Chief of the Miami University Police Department (MUPD), John McCandless said recent university efforts to improve safety and security have made the police force more prepared. McCandless said MUPD has worked to improve security concerns especially in the aftermath of the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, but even before that incident occurred.With 41 full time staff members, McCandless said MUPD is both larger than the Oxford Police Department (OPD) and is nationally considered to be a medium sized force, according to FBI standards.If faced with an emergency situation, McCandless said he is more than confident with his staff."I have no doubt we would respond appropriately with help from other forces," McCandless said, citing good relations with the OPD and the Butler County Sheriff Department.The new addition of e2campus Emergency Text Messaging System is another safety feature that McCandless said bolsters MUPD's already solid safety plan.Yet Nault expressed surprise at the amount of students who enrolled in the emergency system."I was astonished," Nault said. "Only 4,000 to 5,000 students signed up when I thought 15,000 would sign up. Students don't seem to think it will happen here (or) happen to them."Both sophomore Morgan Buckey and first-year Kaitlyn Jones said they believe than an event similar to those at VA Tech and NIU could happen at Miami."I think they can happen anywhere but there isn't a lot that the common student can do daily to prevent it," Jones said.Nault said teaching people how to react in emergency situations is complex."It's a very complicated process," Nault said. "We have to think, 'How do we coach people in those instances?' For us, it's how to do that in a meaningful way."Nault said a recent focus on the administration has been job training."One thing we are working on is better job training for students, faculty and staff should an emergency occur-what defensive steps to take," Nault said.McCandless said preventative programs would be effective instead of simply installing more security devices."Part of the dilemma is that there is cost to everything," McCandless said. "I think the fact that Miami has card access in residence halls is a big step. Just to get people to think of safety as a partnership is the goal. It's not just the police's responsibility but the people's too."Mosley-Howard said Miami students are exposed to campus safety programs from the very beginning at first-year orientation."During orientation we spend quite a bit of time talking about health, wellness and safety," Mosley-Howard said. "It's an effective program at the beginning to heighten awareness about safety."First-year Julia McKay and Jones, however, were in agreement that the first-year orientation program did little to make them feel more secure on campus.After orientation, Mosley-Howard said the awareness continues through residence hall tornado and fire drill and general talks about keeping safe.Staying safeFrom a student perspective, sophomore Seth Philip said he believes Miami's campus can exude a false sense of security."In a sense, yes, when you walk around campus, crime is usually the last thing on your mind," Philip said.Jones said she always feels safe on campus, even when walking alone."I don't feel nervous ever walking by myself," Jones said.McCandless said that while crime does occur on campus, the community is generally a safe place."I always have believed and still believe that Miami and Oxford are very safe communities," McCandless said. "Certainly, both are not immune from crime."In an October 2007 survey conducted by MUPD and HAWKS peer health educators, 97 percent of students ranked their feeling of safety between a 7-10, with 10 being extremely safe. Eighty-two percent of students said they would report suspicious activity.Statistically, on-campus crime reports are low at Miami University. According to the Campus Security Act Reporting for the Oxford campus, Miami experienced zero instances of murder, non-negligent manslaughter, negligent manslaughter, robberies or hate crimes for 2006.A total of four forcible sexual offenses occurred on campus in 2006 along with six instances of aggravated assault, six cases of arson, one motor vehicle theft and 33 reports of burglary.In comparison, the Ohio State University reported 329 burglaries, 53 forcible sexual offenses, and 19 motor vehicle thefts in 2006. For the same year, Xavier University reported 14 burglaries and three forcible sex offenses. 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