Website for university information ranks
FHSU as the safest college campus in Kansas
StateUniversity.com, which bills itself as the leading website for
college information, has released its 2nd annual list of the safest
colleges and universities in the United States.
It ranked Fort Hays State University as the safest in Kansas.
The report stated
that colleges and universities were ranked for campus safety on a scale
that accounts for severity of a crime as well as frequency of crime.
Campus crime statistics were calculated per 1,000 students. The campus
crime statistics published on StateUniversity.com were taken from crime
reports submitted by college/university law enforcement between Jan. 1
and Dec. 31, 2011.
"College safety
ratings based on campus crime can be a useful tool in evaluating a
college or university; however, these safety ratings only provide part
of the picture," the StateUniversity.com report stated. "Before making a
college decision based on campus crime reports, students are advised to
consider other factors, such as overall crime in the neighboring
community. Local organizations and law enforcement may be able to
provide such additional information."
The Safest Schools
findings are based on incidents of campus crime as reported by campus
safety officials. The 2012 rankings are available online: http:// www.stateuniversity.com/rank/safety_score_rank.html
As part of the
Safest Schools ranking, StateUniversity.com analyzed crime statistics
for 450 colleges and universities and assigned a safety rating to each
school. Safety ratings
are determined
based on the number of occurrences of aggravated assault, robbery,
burglary, theft/larceny, motor vehicle theft, forcible rape and murder
on campus. They are weighed based on the probability of each incident
happening to each student because, naturally, larger campuses would be
expected to have a higher number of total incidents. Violent crime is
given more weight in the ranking system and has a greater effect on the
safety rating than non-violent crime such as theft.
StateUniversity.com
notes that the ranking presents interesting data about which schools
are safest. "There is no apparent correlation between campus crime rates
and perceived academic quality" the report states. "Among the top 50
safest schools, you won't see many well-known national universities
commonly found atop college ranking lists. In fact, the large state
universities and prestigious colleges that are 'household names' in many
parts of the country are scattered all over the list.
The top 10 safest schools nationwide, according to StateUniversity.com:
1.
Arkansas State University, Beebe Campus
2. Sheridan College -- Sheridan, Wyo.
3. Lake Land College -- Mattoon, Ill.
4. Southern University at New Orleans
5. Erskine College and Seminary -- Due West, S.C.
6. Central Texas College -- Killeen
7. South Plains College -- Levelland, Texas
8. Virginia Western Community College -- Roanoke
9. Northeast State Community College -- Blountville, Tenn.
10. Delgado Community College -- New Orleans
"Student safety and
campus crime are sometimes overlooked during the college evaluation
process," said Dominik Mazur, founder of StateUniversity.com. "We
believe it is important for students to be aware of crime on campus and
in the surrounding community. Lately, this issue is more on people's
minds after the recent school shootings that have been widely covered by
the media."
About StateUniversity.com
Covering all U.S.
institutions of higher learning, StateUniversity.com features the most
complete collection of school statistics anywhere. The website allows
prospective students to compare schools, research degree programs and
submit requests for application materials.