What seemed like a recent increase in criminal activity on and near AU's campus was actually the result of more notification to students about these types of crimes, according to Public Safety Chief Michael McNair.
After an armed robbery near Tenley campus Aug. 20 and an instance of sexual assault Aug. 29 near the 4100 block of Massachusetts Avenue, Public Safety issued "Crime Alerts," which they posted around campus, in the residence halls and in off-campus locations where AU students tend to reside, such as the Berkshire Apartments. These crime alerts include the nature of the crimes and descriptions of the suspects.
Public Safety did not mean to cause panic when they issued these alerts but instead to raise students' awareness of their surroundings, McNair said.
Crime around campus is not necessarily a recent phenomenon. Public Safety had difficulty getting the Metropolitan Police Department to disclose information about crimes that involve AU students in the past but communication has improved over the past few months, he said.
"[The same crimes] could have been happening two years ago," McNair said.
This increase in reported crimes can be observed on AU Public Safety's Web site under the "Crime Alerts" link, which indicates five incidents of crime on or near campus since July 9. Public Safety issued no crime alerts in 2007 and only one in 2006.
Evan Schwarz, a junior in the School of Public Affairs and a resident of the Berkshire Apartments, said he has noticed crime alerts more than he did last year.
"I don't know if there's been more crime," he said. "I think they're just broadcasting it more."
Recently, more stringent requirements of the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act have called for more widespread disclosure of crime, according to McNair.
The revisions caused Public Safety to review its policies and practices and change them accordingly, he said.
The Clery Act, passed in 1990 and updated and amended since, requires most colleges and universities to disclose any information regarding crimes that occur on or around campus. Institutions required to follow the Clery Act, including AU, must "make timely reports to the campus community on crimes considered to be a threat to other students and employees," according to the act's text. These threats include murder, sex offense, robberies, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, manslaughter, arson and any incident of arrest or disciplinary action for violation of alcohol or drug laws or possession of weapons.
"Such reports shall be provided to students and employees in a manner that is timely and that will aid in the prevention of similar occurrences," according to the law's text.
Public Safety chooses to reserve sending text message and e-mail alerts to students for extraordinary instances, McNair said.
Briana Townsend, a freshman in SPA, said she does not mind getting notifications about crimes in the campus area.
"Even though it seems ridiculous about some of the stories, but at least you know the things that are going on around campus," she said.
Even if incidents are occurring near places where students often live, Public Safety does not have jurisdiction over any off-campus location. Only the MPD can respond directly to these instances, even if they involve an AU student, McNair said.
The MPD agreed to joint patrols with Public Safety to familiarize the department with AU's campus and student activity. Public Safety and the MPD are working more closely in order to maintain the safety of the AU community, McNair said.
Opening lines of communication is extremely important, especially after the Virginia Tech tragedy in 2007, he said, adding that it is difficult to determine what needs to be publicized and what does not.
"Since Virginia Tech, public safety departments have been struggling with how much information is too much information," McNair said.
This year, Public Safety launched a program called AU Campus Connect. Any student with Sprint cell service can sign up on www.getrave.com to connect to programs such as RaveGuardian, which essentially allows the user to designate a time frame from when they leave somewhere until when they anticipate their arrival. Upon arrival, the user can turn off the timer. If they fail to do so, the program notifies Public Safety and the department will locate the student via GPS in the phone to assure that the user is safe.
Camille March, a junior in SPA, said she did not think Campus Connect was worth changing cellular service providers to Sprint.
"If they are really going to do this, they should make it available to all service providers, not just Sprint," she said.
McNair said students who do not have Sprint can call a phone number that will provide a similar service. By entering a start and end time and anticipated location, Public Safety can also come and attempt to locate a student who did not deactivate the timer.
The program also includes access to e-mail and Blackboard, as well as a shuttle bus locator, according to McNair.
The application costs $10 per month and would be added to users' monthly Sprint bills, according to the service's Web site.
You can reach this staff writer at jcalantone@theeagleonline.com.
