(Photo courtesy of fromthebarn.org)
By Kate Stringer, Staff Writer stringer14@up.edu
Public Safety recently released its Annual Security Report in compliance with the Campus Security Act with updated crime statistics for the 2011 school year. The most common crimes reported at University of Portland are alcohol and drug -related. Following far behind are burglary, motor vehicle theft, aggravated assault and forcible sex offenses.
However, the report reveals only a partial picture of crime affecting the UP community, because federal law mandates reporting only specific categories of crime. For example, thefts are not included if they did not involve someone breaking into a building. Additionally, sexual assault is widely believed to be underreported, not just at UP but nationwide. The report also does not cover crime in nearby off-campus housing unless the house is University-owned.
Liquor law violations are the most commonly reported statistic. In 2011 there were 81 campus disciplinary referrals. This number decreased from 2010 when there were 106 campus referrals. While Director of Public Safety Gerald Gregg is unsure how to explain the decrease, he hypothesizes that alcohol education could be a contributing factor.
"The student affairs division is always trying to educate our students about following the rules and if you are of age to drink, drinking responsibly," Gregg said. "We're hoping they're hearing that."
While liquor violations have decreased, drug law violations have increased to 15 disciplinary referrals and one arrest from the six disciplinary referrals of 2010. According to Gregg, the arrest may or may not have been a UP student but would have been handled by the Portland Police Bureau.
"We're required to gather statistics on arrests from the local police agency, so this could have been an arrest on our adjacent property, like the sidewalk," Gregg said.
According to Gregg, the drug most commonly dealt with in these referrals is marijuana.
Sometimes, numbers on the report don't paint the whole picture of campus crime. For example, the report defines burglary as "The unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft." Therefore, bike theft is not a reportable incident because it typically does not fit the definition of burglary.
According to Gregg, the number of forcible sex offenses also may not portray actual numbers.
"We only report what we know. Does that mean there weren't more incidences? I don't know. Society typically believes it's underreported," Gregg said. "It's a very traumatic experience so some people don't want to report. I can't quantify it but one is one too many."
According to a study done by the U.S. Department of Justice, one in four female college students are victims of rape.
In contrast, UP statistics for 2011 indicate two reported forcible sex offences.
According to Gregg, one took place in a residence hall and another in a University - owned house. One offense was criminally prosecuted initially, but there wasn't sufficient evidence to proceed, according to Gregg.
Public Safety handles reports of sexual assault according to the victim's wishes while ensuring that there is no continuing threat to campus safety.
"What we will never do is try to push the victim to do something they don't want to do," Gregg said. "We clearly explain to the victim what their options are. They can anonymously report, they can report but not participate in an investigation, they can report it to the police. We make sure they understand the variety of resources that are available to them: women's crisis center, our health center, Campus Ministry."
The Campus Security Act was passed by Congress in 1990 after the rape and murder of Lehigh University freshman Jeanne Clery. The act requires colleges to publicly disclose an annual campus security report detailing crime statistics. Colleges who fail to comply can be fined or excluded from federal financial aid programs.
Gregg said the report is to educates students about their campus environment.
"The whole point of this is if you're either a student or a prospective student and you want to look at statistics to see if there are all sorts of heinous, horrible crime going on," Gregg said. "I believe this is a very safe campus where peoples are generally treated with dignity and respect by one another."
2011 Campus Crime Numbers
Forcible Sex Offenses: 2
Burglary: 4
Motor Vehicle Theft: 4
Liquor Law Violations: 81
Drug Law Violations: 10
Read the complete crime report at: http://www.up.edu/showimage/show.aspx?file=17659
