Public Safety releases annual report

On Sept. 30, the College released its annual security report, including statistics of on-campus crime from the years 2007, 2008 and 2009.

According to Associate Dean of the College and Director of Public Safety Lisa Boudah, the report is designed to “make sure students are familiar with safety procedures” as well as to “publish [safety] information about the institution.”

Boudah added that the report provides information for prospective students seeking to evaluate the safety procedures in place on campus.

“Students looking at [the College] will ask, ‘What are they going to do if I’m in trouble?’” said Boudah.

Due to federal revisions of the Higher Education Act, Public Safety was required to publish new information or alter the procedures for five different sections of their safety policy.

First, the definition of hate crimes was expanded to include crimes of murder, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny/theft, simple assault and intimidation.  Although there were no reported cases of hate crimes in 2007 and 2008, one case of simple assault occurred in 2009.

According to Boudah, “the person who committed the crime punched the other person.”
Public Safety urges those witnessing hate crimes to report them immediately, as delay in reporting can lead to escalation of the incident. Reports can be filed with the Department of Public Safety, Dean of the College, Human Resources, Dean of Faculty, the Human Relations Officer or the Community Relations Advisers.

Secondly, the emergency response system has expanded to include notification of emergencies other than crime.  While Public Safety has a history of notifying students of other emergencies such as weather, Boudah explained that the definition has been broadened “to include anything involving an immediate threat to students, faculty or staff.”

Boudah cited the e-mail sent two weeks ago warning of a nearby storm system as an example of such a response.  Notification can be in the form of an email or the use of the AlertFind system, which contacts students via a phone number they have listed on Banner Web.

The evacuation procedures have also been slightly altered.

“There was not a significant change, but we’re increasing our efforts to emphasize [the procedures],” explained Boudah. These efforts include signs posted in academic buildings on campus as well as the required presence of crowd managers at all events.

Boudah explained how even something as simple as an announcement at the beginning of a performance can provide “something to draw on in a moment of evacuation.”

A fourth revision of the safety policy now provides an opportunity via Banner Web wherein all students can designate a specific contact person that would be notified in the event that they are reported missing.  This system, required by the Higher Education Act, is designed to provide Public Safety with a contact close to the missing person who might be able to give valuable information about the whereabouts of the missing person.

“Most of the time, Public Safety can figure out who a student’s friends are just by contacting the Residential Advisor (RA), Commons Residential Advisor (CRA) or even by walking down a student’s hallway, but [this system] could be especially helpful for students who are traveling abroad,” said Boudah.

The College has also reevaluated its policy of fire safety procedures and the reporting of fires.
In 2009, only two cases of fire were reported in residential buildings.  One case took place in Ross Dining hall because of a propane leak and another in Battell due to fire from cooking.  These two incidents caused a collective $1,182 in damages.

Boudah explained that the estimated cost of damages refers only to the property damage, and does not include the cost of repair. Most fires in residential areas occur due to cooking, and Boudah urged students to be attentive when preparing food in residential hall kitchens.

“It doesn’t take much to start a fire,” said Boudah.

A sixth federal mandate clarified the distinctions between crimes categorized as burglary and larceny, although this had no effect on the published information or College policy.

All schools that receive federal funding are required by federal law to release annual crime reports.  Public Safety released information regarding crime statistics for the years 2007-2009.  The College has released safety reports since 1990.  The report is provided in PDF format and can be found on the Public Safety page of the College website.