Safety on Campus: Students Report Mixed Feelings Despite Low Crime Rates

MT. PLEASANT, Mich. — Central Michigan University’s public safety report for 2023 revealed a relatively low rate of violent crime on campus, but survey results showed that students report concerns about safety, particularly at night.

According to the university’s report, there were no incidents of murder, manslaughter, or robbery on campus in 2023. Other violent crimes such as rape, aggravated assault, and fondling have remained at levels similar to previous years. In fact, the report shows three reported incidents of aggravated assault and seven cases of rape, five of which occurred in residential facilities.

In a recent survey of 29 CMU students, 37.9% of respondents said they do not feel safe on campus at night. While 100% of those surveyed reported feeling safe during the day, the feeling of security drops significantly after dark.

"I think any individual, especially women, feel some sort of unease when going around campus at night," said one respondent. Another student echoed similar concerns, adding, "Outside at night is scary…my dorm building/hallway has felt unsafe at times because of harassment experiences last year."

In addition to the three reported incidents of aggravated assault and seven cases of rape, there were also 9 reported incidents of domestic violence and 4 incidents of stalking on campus in 2023. Dating violence was rare, with no reported incidents in 2023.

When asked about personal experiences with campus safety, 17.2% of students said they had experienced, or knew someone who had experienced, a safety-related incident on campus.

Several students mentioned parking lots and areas around dorms as places where they feel particularly unsafe. One student said, "Parking lots sometimes as they need more lighting at night, but pretty much anywhere on campus at night, I use the buddy system to ensure safety with my friends and I."

Despite these concerns, the survey found that 75.9% of students still feel safe using campus facilities like parking lots, dorms, and study areas after dark, although 24.1% of students still express discomfort.

When asked about campus security, 85.7% of respondents said they believe campus security would respond quickly in an emergency. Additionally, 89.3% of students said they felt that security measures such as lighting, security patrols, and emergency phones were effective. However, 82.8% of respondents reported rarely seeing security personnel on campus.

"More blue lights," one student said, referring to the emergency phones dispersed across campus, in response to a question about safety resources. Another student said, "More campus police presence." Many other students expressed the need for more lighting after dark and more security.

Students also voiced concerns about the adequacy of safety resources. While 50% of respondents believe CMU provides adequate resources like safety escorts and self-defense classes, the other half disagrees. One student suggested that CMU could improve by offering more self-defense classes and raising awareness about available safety protocols.