Hayley Smorczeski, News Editor
This month, campus security released information regarding annual crime statistics and fire safety information from 2007-2009, as required by The Jeanne Cleary Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act.
The report provides an overview of crimes committed on all Lewis campuses. It is broken down into the types of offenses committed and includes information on fires and false alarms that occurred in residence halls.
All the cases listed on the fire safety report for 2009 are identified as “fire alarm.” This phrase indicates that no actual fire emergency took place. Since 2007, there have been no reports of fire related injuries or deaths.
The crime statistics indicate that while most offenses listed have had zero occurrences, there are a few offenses that have taken place and are important for students to take note of.
One of the most common crimes on the main campus over the past three years continues to be theft related. In 2009 there were a total of 43 thefts reported on campus, which was 17 more than in 2008, and 24 of them had been reported as having occurred in residence halls. When compared to the most recent reports from two other private university websites, Concordia and Elmhurst, Lewis’s theft numbers rank the highest, topping Concordia by 33 more offenses and Elmhurst by 35 more offenses.
The report also lists a total of two “forcible sex offenses” committed in residence halls in 2009, which was consistent with numbers from 2008, as well as 10 drug law violations, where five resulted in an arrest and five in disciplinary action.
Liquor law violations consist of the largest number of offenses with 167 in 2008. Of these, only one resulted in an arrest while 166 resulted in disciplinary action. There is no information on total liquor law violations for 2009. Lewis liquor law violations top Concordia by 142 more violations and Elmhurst by 138 more violations.
Senior Multimedia Production major and resident, Lyndsey Powers, wasn’t surprised by the information released, but being made aware of it has reminded her of the importance of the precautions she takes that have helped keep her safe on campus.
“I feel safe for the most part […], but because my dorm room is in the darker part of campus I do take a sprinting run to get there […] Once I’m inside my dorm I shut my blinds because I don’t like people being able to see in […] I don’t like the idea that people can easily break in so when I go to sleep at night I make sure to shut my windows all the time.”
Powers mentioned that the emergency phones on campus have created an increased sense of security even though she can’t see herself ever needing to use them.
“It makes me feel slightly safer just to know that there’s that crutch, in a sense.”
With or without emergency phones, Powers thinks security personnel need to be more visible on campus.
“When I am walking around on campus I don’t really see them around […] I feel like they are kind of in their cave unless they get a call.”
She believes that campus security would make students feel safer if they increased their presence during all hours of the day.
Jaber Aiyash, sophomore political science major, agrees with Powers and said, “I think campus security needs to be around at all times making sure that everything is okay.”
Students who share these opinions should know that campus security provides an on-call escort service.
The report also includes information about scenarios, such as what to do in case of a fire or an assault, as well as listing information about victims’ rights, campus policies and procedure, security awareness programs and contact information for the local police departments at each campus location. To view the report visit: www.lewisu.edu/campuscrime
Hayley Smorczeski
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