Content warning: mentions of violence against women, domestic violence and rape.

On Sept. 18, the Assistant Vice President of Public Safety, Matthew T. Rushton, shared the University’s 2023 Annual Security Report through an email to the community. The notice was in accordance with the Jennifer Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act which requires colleges and universities to publicize their security data. 

The Annual Security report has three major sections — crime statistics, security policies and fire safety. At the end of the report, statistical compilations regarding each of these categories can be found. The report covers safety information from 2021, 2022 and 2023. 

The first half of the report discusses major public safety divisions on campus as well as proper procedure for reporting crimes, including contact information and whether or not the resource is confidential. The first quarter of the report also covers emergency notification, as well as security information in regards to dorms. Dating violence is also covered, with classifications and reporting procedures listed out for several different situations involving domestic or dating violence. All of the University’s policy and procedures for official complaints are listed out in detail. The report also covers crime prevention tips on campus, as well as policies concerning alcohol and other drugs.  

Some of the most notable areas of increase from the report include: 

Sex offenses — rape, fondling, incest and statutory rape — have seen a slight increase, from six cases in 2021 to five in 2022 to seven in 2023. 

Theft, including robbery, aggravated assault and burglary, have also seen an increase. There were no cases of robbery in 2021 and 2022 and four instances of robbery in 2023. There were zero cases of aggravated assault in 2021 and 2022, two cases in 2023 and two cases of burglary in both 2022 and 2023. 

Additionally, offenses that fall under the Violence Against Women Act such as dating violence, domestic violence and stalking had a slight increase. There were two and three cases of dating violence in 2021 and 2022 and eight cases in 2023. In 2023, there were three cases of domestic violence, with none reported in 2021 and 2022. There were also three cases of stalking in 2023 after one and three in 2022 and 2021 respectively. 

The last third of the report is dedicated to a detailed report on the University’s crime statistics. The report spells out the definitions and classifications of several crimes, which contextualizes the raw data found on the last few pages of the report, showing the statistics of a broad range of crimes committed on or off campus over 2021 to 2023. The final pages also covers fire safety data, which includes fire safety equipment and is a record of all the fires which have happened over the past three years. 

It is unclear whether the observed increases are significant enough to indicate a broader shift in campus safety. As most students are aware, many cases of unsafe behavior are not reported properly for a variety of reasons. As Rushton wrote in the report, students are encouraged to review it in order to familiarize themselves with campus security procedures.