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Jennifer Lindgens
Mrs. Pettay
English 111
October 15, 2014
College Safety
Almost a year from now, graduates from the class of 2015 will be on their way to their
first college class, but will their travels be safe? With the recent investigation of the missing
University of Virginia student, Hannah Graham, campus safety has been of wide spread concern
to the nation. Parents of college students nation wide want their students safe while theyre away
from home. Colleges provide a secure campus by analyzing campus crime history and presenting
fundamental responsibilities for their students.
The United States has decreased in safety. Crime rates have increased by fifteen percent
from last year for the second year in a row. This has caught the attention of the public, as well as
universities and colleges. The Clergy Act of 1990 requires all colleges to provide annual statistics
of on campus and non-campus building crimes to be reported to the U.S. Department of
Education. Theses statistics tell the Department of Education what level of safety measures
should be implemented, depending if their crime rates have raised. After the Virginia Teach
shooting in April of 2007, safety policies and regulations have increased in complexity. The
Department of Education created an emergency management plan in 2010, to ensure the safety of
all students oral campuses nationwide. All colleges are committed to the execution of this plan
and also provide a list of student responsibilities for safety precaution.
These responsibility tips are precautionary to student safety; on tip regards walking on
campus. Colleges require students walk with at least on person you know, look confident, stay

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alert, and to trust your instincts. Two of the top three campus crimes, burglary and sexual assault,
stem from lack of responsibility while walking on campus. A student might be listening to an
iPod while walking alone ad fail to realize they are being followed. Its ones responsibility to
keep themselves safe when not everyone can be relied on to be a good samaritan.
Collegs also tip their students to think wisely when drinking or smoking, from partying
with a trusted group to setting limits for yourself. About 690,000 college students are victims of
assault each year due to intoxication by alcohol. Young people with the new freedom of
transitioning from high school to college can result in recklessness. Its important to make smart
decisions for ones own safety, especially regarding alcohol and drugs. Hannah Graham, the
missing UVA student, was under the influence of alcohol when she left the bar alone with Hesse
Matthew. She has yet to be found.
The dangers that the friends of Hannah Graham have come to face are realistic. Crime
rates have increased over the years, which have resulted in extensive college emergency
management plans and the issuing of student responsibility tips. These plans a snippets of tips
are provided to ensure the safety of college students so that they can travel to their classes
without issue.

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Works Cited
Associated, Press. Survey Finds Violent Crime Increase for Second Year in a Row. PBS. PBS,
n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.
Hart, Andrew. Hannah Graham, Missing UVA Student, Still Missing. The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 Sept. 2014. Web. 27 Sept. 2014.
Kansas State University. Safety Tips. Kansas State University, n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.
National, Results Of The. Results of the National Campus Safety and Security Project Survey.
CAMPUS SAFETY AND SECURITY (n.d.): n. pag. NACUBO. National Association of
College and University Business Officers. Web.