Urban campuses & CRIME

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Be aware of your surroundings and travel another person in late evenings. Also if your paranoid about crime, your kid should probably take certain schools off their list. But my DD went to school in a somewhat unsafe neighborhood and worst thing that happened was her bike got stolen from inside.

Okay. She did not get raped or murdered, therefore…???????

DP. My girl did get raped freshman year. At a rural SLAC where there’s nothing to do but go to alcohol-drenched frat parties. That’s where the real danger lies.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are kidding yourself if you think that a private university has ANY control over risk beyond their campus perimeter.

Columbia and the U of Chicago can’t fix NY or Chicago. Temple can’t fix Philadelphia.

And college students tend not to use the best judgement when choosing between having fun and being safe.

(I am very glad that my kid went to college ina forgiving environment.)

OP here. Yeah, this is the kind of stuff I’m talking about - Philly, Chicago, NY.

Does it help if the school has an official police department rather than just “public safety?”
Should we get media more involved? City mayor?

Temple has a large campus police department that is trained with and on the same level as Philadelphia police. As long as students stay within the Temple boundaries, they should remain safe. It is a very popular school for kids who like big city living. It’s also a large school with 35,000 students. My kid is a sophomore and we live in DC. She knows how to keep herself safe and is having a good experience But, Philly, like DC, is an urban city with crime. If your student is not accustomed to it or lacks common sense, then they should choose another college experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are kidding yourself if you think that a private university has ANY control over risk beyond their campus perimeter.

Columbia and the U of Chicago can’t fix NY or Chicago. Temple can’t fix Philadelphia.

And college students tend not to use the best judgement when choosing between having fun and being safe.

(I am very glad that my kid went to college ina forgiving environment.)

Homeschooling + Online college would be the best bet for safety.

https://data.delmarvanow.com/crimes-on-campus/

Most of the crimes students experience are students against students on campus. You should be more worried about that.

My daughters are sort of timid introverted girls, but at the same time smart and love to explore and try new things.  They have lived all their lives in Fairfax/Centreville suburbs.
They didn't want to stay in VA, and now one is in LA and one is in Boston. 
They are in their 2nd year, and think it was the right decision learning  good life skills and experiencing city environments. 

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are kidding yourself if you think that a private university has ANY control over risk beyond their campus perimeter.

Columbia and the U of Chicago can’t fix NY or Chicago. Temple can’t fix Philadelphia.

And college students tend not to use the best judgement when choosing between having fun and being safe.

(I am very glad that my kid went to college ina forgiving environment.)

Homeschooling + Online college would be the best bet for safety.

https://data.delmarvanow.com/crimes-on-campus/

Most of the crimes students experience are students against students on campus. You should be more worried about that.

My daughters are sort of timid introverted girls, but at the same time smart and love to explore and try new things.  They have lived all their lives in Fairfax/Centreville suburbs.
They didn't want to stay in VA, and now one is in LA and one is in Boston. 
They are in their 2nd year, and think it was the right decision learning  good life skills and experiencing city environments. 

BTW WTF is happening in Ohio State University?

[Anonymous]

Crimes against women on campus

https://data.delmarvanow.com/crimes-on-campus/violence-against-women-act-offences/us/00/2019/#csstable

[Anonymous]

Trailer for Hulu documentary in Jan 2023: “Death in the Dorms”

https://youtu.be/sb2BvDh2_jY

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trailer for Hulu documentary in Jan 2023: “Death in the Dorms”

https://youtu.be/sb2BvDh2_jY

UCLA
University of Florida
University of Virginia
Baruch College
University of South Carolina
Western Kentucky University

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of you with students attending universities situated in high crime areas of various cities, can you share what your university does to help keep kids safe from muggings as they walk off-campus?

Would love to hear stories about what’s worked vs not worked. Thank you so much.

Young men may need to learn the safety tips that young woman have to incorporate every day of their lives to avoid sexual assault and murder. The college may provide security on campus and rides even off campus. But ultimately the students need to take standard city precautions. I’d love for my kid to choose a safer campus but if not, she’ll be worried about more than muggings. But I will tell her to hand over her money and carry at least $20. For women, even campus security escorts aren’t necessarily safe.

Really? You want your kid to be navigating this environment while they are trying to learn, and adult for the first time. No thank you.

Women have to navigate this every day of their lives. We have been told since we are young to hold our keys between our fingers, cover your drinks, don't accept drinks if you haven't seen it poured, avoid dark areas and walking alone . . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP back. No, I’m talking about 20-year-old young men being held at gunpoint, being shot, death threats as part of attempted robberies etc. My kid went to HS in DC - he’s “not worried,” but it sucks to have a friend undergoing multiple surgeries due to gun shots. This week there have been at least three gun involved muggings, and it is finals week.

I know a 7' tall African (ie: from Africa) black man who was a student at Catholic, who was not only held at gunpoint in the middle of late morning, but also carjacked. Not to mention several students who have been robbed at the metro station there - during the day - at gunpoint.

If you think you should not choose a city, then don't choose a city.

Are you saying we need to expect this in all cities? I disagree. These incidents should be rare!

Then get guns off the street. But, no, Americans are deranged gun fanatics. The laughing stock of the developed world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP back. No, I’m talking about 20-year-old young men being held at gunpoint, being shot, death threats as part of attempted robberies etc. My kid went to HS in DC - he’s “not worried,” but it sucks to have a friend undergoing multiple surgeries due to gun shots. This week there have been at least three gun involved muggings, and it is finals week.

What school is that, OP?

[Anonymous]

I went to Penn. Orientation included a session with an officer (pretty sure from the actual city police, not just like campus security) who gave pretty straightforward, common sense advice. It wasn't anything I didn't know having always living in a city, but I think it was helpful for some of the suburbanites.

Main points were
-keep your head up (i.e. don't be absorbed in your phone and head phones on)
-project confidence and make strong eye contact if you are concerned about an individual in your vicinity/approaching you
-don't bother with pepper spray, you're as likely to pepper spray yourself as any attacker
-don't resist/be a hero if you do get held up - just give up the goods and live to see another day

But, ultimately a lot of it comes down to luck. I was on foot alone a lot at Penn and in several much worse areas of Philly due to my internship assignment. Nothing ever happened to me, but I am aware it could have, it just didn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of you with students attending universities situated in high crime areas of various cities, can you share what your university does to help keep kids safe from muggings as they walk off-campus?

Would love to hear stories about what’s worked vs not worked. Thank you so much.

Young men may need to learn the safety tips that young woman have to incorporate every day of their lives to avoid sexual assault and murder. The college may provide security on campus and rides even off campus. But ultimately the students need to take standard city precautions. I’d love for my kid to choose a safer campus but if not, she’ll be worried about more than muggings. But I will tell her to hand over her money and carry at least $20. For women, even campus security escorts aren’t necessarily safe.

Really? You want your kid to be navigating this environment while they are trying to learn, and adult for the first time. No thank you.

Women have to navigate this every day of their lives. We have been told since we are young to hold our keys between our fingers, cover your drinks, don't accept drinks if you haven't seen it poured, avoid dark areas and walking alone . . . .

Amen. "All my life I had to fight."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here. Also, get off the parents FB page. Your kid is an adult.

Seriously. So glad these weren't really a thing yet when I was college, though I doubt my parents would have participated anyway. They gave me an impressive amount of autonomy during my college years (especially compared to what I see from this board...)

[Anonymous]

DBAP Don't Be A P---y!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP back. No, I’m talking about 20-year-old young men being held at gunpoint, being shot, death threats as part of attempted robberies etc. My kid went to HS in DC - he’s “not worried,” but it sucks to have a friend undergoing multiple surgeries due to gun shots. This week there have been at least three gun involved muggings, and it is finals week.

OP i am 4 feet 10 inches tall. I am 61 years old.

I have never felt unsafe in a city ever.

Never walk alone at night.
Pay attention to souroundings
Do not talk on your cell phone at night.
Don't be stupid,,,,,,,,,

Okay, I'm 60 and 6 inches taller. I live in a city, walk alone at night, and follow your other guidelines. There are times I've felt unsafe, but less so as I age as I can now afford taxi/uber at night and where I visit/hang is much more narrow than it was 30 years ago. I still live in a big city and largely find it safer than smaller cities/towns as i really have no idea what might be going on there (too many true crime podcasts perhaps).

How safe you feel can have zero relationship to how safe you actually are.

There are statistics that reflect the reality of how safe your kid will be in a given city. Ignore them at your own peril.

PP here. I've lived in cities nearly my entire adult life. I'm fairly good at reading the environment and making decisions accordingly. What has become more unpredictable are the uptick in numbers of untreated people on the streets and public transit. DH and I are pretty attuned.

Our DCs are attending SLACs in small towns - they really wanted the exact opposite experience of their childhoods.