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SALT LAKE CITY – Some parents are wondering if students are safe on campus after the violent death on campus of an elderly Utah university. And he has fueled interest in campus-wide security efforts nationwide.
Lauren McCluskey, 21, died after being shot by a man she recently came out with. He committed suicide a few hours later.
Deseret News has asked experts from across the country to comment on how universities and colleges are improving safety, issues and how parents and students can help. He did not ask the experts to directly comment on the death of McCluskey, as this investigation is still ongoing.
Experts say that security is one of the biggest challenges colleges face – and they have responded for years by stepping up security efforts, expanding the reach of services and the way they deliver them.
Campuses have responded to violence and other safety-related events by providing technological tools, more staff, and programs that enhance student skills, such as self-defense training. Students often learn to intervene safely as passers-by.
"I think it's fair to say that colleges and universities, not just their police departments and their public security agencies, are constantly looking for ways to prevent crime, especially violent crime against people. students, faculty and staff, "said Jeff Allison, director of government and externals. Relations for the International Association of Campus Police Administrators.
Schools learn from their bad experiences, he says.
According to Allison, statistics and government studies all suggest that young adults who go to university are generally safer than their peers who are not enrolled. And campus-related crime has declined overall for years, although some types of crime have proven more difficult to deal with than others.
According to data from the Department of Education, sexual assaults have not decreased much, if at all. Alcohol and drug abuse remains a major problem – and violence and substance abuse are often linked, with substance use fueling violence. Alcohol is also the primary means by which students expose themselves to risk, according to Allison.
Dating violence, domestic violence and criminal harassment continue to vex efforts to prevent these crimes.
"We are just beginning to understand the extent of domestic violence, dating violence and stalking in colleges," said S. Daniel Carter, president of Safety Advisors for Campus Education, who is consulting on security issues on campus. "Nationally, we do not have much comparable data, but we know that dating violence is a significant problem for university students across the country."
According to federal guidelines, dating violence is violence perpetrated by a person who has or has had a romantic or intimate social relationship. Domestic violence is about people who live or have lived together. These are among the most complex security issues that colleges try to prevent each year.
"Our number one priority for campus security is that of human life," said Jeff Graviet, director of emergency management services at the University of Utah. "The question is how do we equip students with all the potential – knowledge, tools and protection – to handle this?"
It's a question that thousands of higher education institutions are pondering every day. Just like parents and students.
Crime on campus
In 2016, burglaries were by far the most serious crime committed on university campuses. But the Ministry of Education reported nearly 6,700 forced rapes on campuses, 4,000 serious assaults, 3,600 cases of "hugging", 70 legal rapes and 41 murders, as well as a handful of negligent manslaughter.
Carter says the goal is to avoid any bad situation before it escalates, especially with regards to dating, domestic violence and the like.
Colleges must provide accommodation where possible if a student feels threatened, even if the other party is not affiliated with the school, he said. For example, if the student lives in a campus accommodation, the college may authorize a change of apartment, provided another apartment is available. Classes can be changed or work done on campus.
According to Abigail Boyer, Acting Executive Director of Clery Center, campuses have been explicit in trying to make sure students, faculty and staff know what they are dealing with. The center, a non-profit organization dedicated to campus security, was founded by the family and others after the rape and murder of 19-year-old Jeanne Clery in her dorm in 1986. Congress has also assigned to its law the law requiring reporting on crime in American colleges and universities.
Some of the security issues considered by schools and individuals include "Have you identified the nature of an abusive relationship and are we ready to intervene?" Boyer says.
Institutions need to have a response and specific policies in place to deal with such situations, she notes.
With regard to crimes committed on campus, the number of sexual assaults has been devastating. Carter says that as many as one in four or five students will be sexually assaulted during their undergraduate studies, although crime does not happen on campus. These numbers are relatively difficult to solve, he adds. But that varies a lot from one school to another – from half of the students in a distant school to 1 in 8 of the other, he says. "Most were in the middle and because of the privacy of the study, we do not know which schools are the most distant cases."
The data on sexual assault is also sensitive: some studies suggest a decrease in the number of university campuses, while others disagree, according to Allison.
On the other hand, parents and students who consult the safety and crime reports of a school are asked to remember that a high number does not necessarily mean that a school has more crimes than the smaller schools. This school may simply be much more capable of collecting data or may create an environment in which students feel safe to report a crime, says Boyer.
Campus killings are significantly rarer than other crimes, says Carter.
Data collected by the Deseret News was not consistent, totaling approximately 20 to 45 per year in the United States, in 6,000 institutions and their multiple campuses.
Priority prevention objective
Colleges are deploying many tools to enhance campus security.
The University has created an Emergency Response Guide available in hard copy and a related version of the digital application. Mr. Graviet says it's not supposed to be a resource in an emergency, but before a danger occurs, the person knows what to do. It contains, for example, advice on what to do during an active fire, in case of a meteorological emergency or in case of meeting a suspicious package.
They also have emergency phones in the campus parking lots that go directly to campus police. Many American colleges and universities use similar guides and tools.
Colleges across the country each have a campus alert system that sends SMS, phone alerts and e-mail alerts to students, parents, teachers, staff and students. other. Monday night's alert from the U. warned its 55,000 members against an active shooter and asked recipients on campus to reside on the spot. Shortly after, he provided confidential information about the suspect. The alert was periodically updated and eventually informed the recipients when the campus was considered secure so that people could move again.
The campuses, in fact, "are powerful" compared to a city of comparable size in terms of warning the population, warns Graviet. "We are extremely powerful in terms of communication, protection and training, and I believe that campuses are among the safest places in the country, which does not mean that it is perfectly safe because it is safe and secure. is an open campus.If anyone wants to hurt, it's pretty hard to know this in advance. "
Nevertheless, colleges everywhere are trying, these experts are in agreement. And the federal government, through the Clery Act and other laws, has set certain standards that it must meet. Each college that receives public funds must publish safety information and provide crime data annually, among other requirements.
Universities have also placed cameras on all campuses, which are constantly monitored. Many offer rape aggression and other self-defense formations. The guidelines regularly include information on safety. And colleges are hiring a record number of counselors and others to help with their anxiety and mental health issues.
Often, schools even have their own apps that connect students to resources and tell them where to report security issues or how to contact victims' rights advocates or public safety aides. For example, the U has the SafeU application. BYU has a similar application called Y-Alert and its SafeWalk feature so students can let BYU's font track their position if they are walking alone. They can press an emergency button if necessary, said BYU spokesman Todd Hollingshead.
What can parents do?
Allison suggests that parents and students planning to start a school look at what types of crime prevention services and victim services are available through the college. They need to think about the type of training that campus police offer students and their relationships with outside law enforcement.
They must also remember that on campus or in the community, security is a shared responsibility, he says. Students should always be aware of their surroundings and make the right decisions about where to go, with whom to go, and with the use of alcohol or other substances that may be harmful. Alter their judgment and reaction or create security problems.
Boyer asks parents to start having safety conversations with their children early and keep them as students grow up. Alcohol and drugs, relationships and danger detection are just a few examples of the ongoing conversations that parents and children should have.
"Education for prevention is not something that should start in higher education. We know that unhealthy relationships do not just start when you head to the university," he says. she says.
Other things parents and students can do to improve safety include:
• Do not wear ear buds or play while walking on campus. Be aware of your environment.
• Use a buddy system when traveling at night.
Allison tells her son, who goes to college in Ohio, that it does not matter if he's walking with "five fat big buddies" . Someone must pay attention to his environment and make sure he is safe. Think of it as a "designated" security person, he says.
• If campus security provides an escort late at night or if the campus has a shuttle system, use it.
• Find out where security tools such as campus phones are available online.
• Feel free to dial 911 on your cell phone if you feel threatened.
• Report poorly lit areas or dim lights. Avoid them when walking alone.
• When selecting schools, consider the tone and quality of the information presented on safety. Check the policies. Check out the School Safety Web page on the campus.
• Report personal security issues, such as a problem with someone with whom you have / have had a relationship, threats, etc. to appropriate university officials. And when you arrive on campus, determine which office or department manages such a report.
Knowing who to contact and what services are available is really important, according to Boyer. "It goes back to the culture on campus," she says, adding that if people trust their ability to report problems and know that something will be done, safety will improve.
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