Urban campuses & CRIME

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was at both JHU and Uchicago (never had any issues although I saw some wild situations). The safety presentations focused on using the buddy system, using campus shuttles/ride system rather than walking, staying in well travelled areas, not stumbling around drunk, not wearing or carrying obviously expensive items, immediately handing over jewelry/book bag/wallet (unless someone is trying to move you to another location, then fight/run). JHU Homewood is heavily surveilled so if you make unusual movements on campus, cameras will activate (at least that's what we were told).

I'm sure that the public safety page of your kid's school has all this advice and more.

Thank you, pp. The issue here is the university does not guarantee on campus housing after freshmen year, and these incidents are occurring a few blocks off campus, where the students live in private apartments and houses.

I think all the same advice applies, aside from the JHU camera thing. I never lived on campus at either of those schools and spent a lot of time on public transit and out in "bad neighborhoods" due to my research. It is scary to know that something could happen to your child and you have no control, but a big part of life is just learning to control that anxiety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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...)

Interesting take. There have been major events at both kids' schools this fall and I find the pages helpful, even just to gauge the administration and parent body responses. DS particularly appreciates that I am informed about what is happening as he wants to discuss from time to time.

Being informed doesn't necessarily impinge on autonomy. And FWIW, my parents gave me an impressive amount of autonomy before I even landed at college, which helped greatly with my adjustment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was at both JHU and Uchicago (never had any issues although I saw some wild situations). The safety presentations focused on using the buddy system, using campus shuttles/ride system rather than walking, staying in well travelled areas, not stumbling around drunk, not wearing or carrying obviously expensive items, immediately handing over jewelry/book bag/wallet (unless someone is trying to move you to another location, then fight/run). JHU Homewood is heavily surveilled so if you make unusual movements on campus, cameras will activate (at least that's what we were told).

I'm sure that the public safety page of your kid's school has all this advice and more.

Thank you, pp. The issue here is the university does not guarantee on campus housing after freshmen year, and these incidents are occurring a few blocks off campus, where the students live in private apartments and houses.

I think all the same advice applies, aside from the JHU camera thing. I never lived on campus at either of those schools and spent a lot of time on public transit and out in "bad neighborhoods" due to my research. It is scary to know that something could happen to your child and you have no control, but a big part of life is just learning to control that anxiety.

So true. I find it more of a challenge now than when they were younger, including in HS. Fortunately neither DC is attending school in an urban area, but guessing that will change after college.

[Anonymous]

Is this what I miss by not watching Fox News?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this what I miss by not watching Fox News?

[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.

OP, I think the scenario you describe above is not really happening at any college. I supect people will mention Temple and Johns Hopkins. And the answer is, both schools have pretty tight security, make sure kids are educated and aware, and it generally works out fine.

[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.

I am so very sorry. I am afraid that where there are men, there is rape. And where men dominate (like prison, the military), there is more rape.

It is well documented that campuses with higher greek activity have higher rates of binge drinking and sexual assault. So, if you are picking a college, you might want to keep that risk factor in mind. (This is based upon public health literature/statistics, not my personal stereotypes. )

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was at both JHU and Uchicago (never had any issues although I saw some wild situations). The safety presentations focused on using the buddy system, using campus shuttles/ride system rather than walking, staying in well travelled areas, not stumbling around drunk, not wearing or carrying obviously expensive items, immediately handing over jewelry/book bag/wallet (unless someone is trying to move you to another location, then fight/run). JHU Homewood is heavily surveilled so if you make unusual movements on campus, cameras will activate (at least that's what we were told).

I'm sure that the public safety page of your kid's school has all this advice and more.

Thank you, pp. The issue here is the university does not guarantee on campus housing after freshmen year, and these incidents are occurring a few blocks off campus, where the students live in private apartments and houses.

Can I ask what city?

[Anonymous]

Seriously, I don’t understand the problem. Just go to a school in the middle of nowhere like Dartmouth or Colgate if you’re this worried. Or like another poster suggested a school in a suburb like Northwestern or BC. Nobody is forcing your kid to go to Chicago or Hopkins.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seriously, I don’t understand the problem. Just go to a school in the middle of nowhere like Dartmouth or Colgate if you’re this worried. Or like another poster suggested a school in a suburb like Northwestern or BC. Nobody is forcing your kid to go to Chicago or Hopkins.

Yup! And if you choose an urban school, research and understand the crime levels and make sure your kid is aware. My kid went to an urban school and the parent's complaining that the campus is not "self contained" and that a major road with bus stops bisects campus and the road should be closed is interesting each year. Seriously, the major road runs from the heart of downtown thru campus and well into the suburbs, and it's the biggest road in the town. That's part of an urban campus---don't like it, then don't attend. My kid learned to be safe, how to duck if they heard gunshots in the bars or bar area and then get the hell out of the area, how to hear gunshots 2 blocks from their house/dorm. But they knew this was a jesuit university in a typical area (ie Jesuit universities believe they should be close to the communities they are a part of and to be in an area that needs "help", so jesuit uni are almost always in some fo the worst parts of town, it's just what it is). My kid also learned to respond to my texts immediately when there was a safety alert---to let me know they and their friends were safe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The overwhelming majority of college students don’t get murdered or even mugged, OP. Relax.

PP, I’m on a parent’s page where this is an ongoing discussion. We are living it. Don’t tell me not to worry. Tell me what we can do to help our kids.

Has it happened to your kid?

b

No, thankfully, but a close friend was shot. There have been multiple incidents this week which has the Parents FB page all abuzz. I am just trying to think of what more can be done to keep the students - and other residents - safe. Good news is cops came quickly today and they made an arrest, but it seems the perpetrator may be a juvenile and it’s unclear if they will be able to detain him.

My kid is like, “Oh, if anyone touches me, I’ll fight back,” and so I’ve told him to just give up his $$ and not to risk anything.

Name the school.

Drexel?