Editor’s Note: Bestcolleges.com is revising the list mentioned in this article based on a reporter mistake as they only included their satellite campuses. Wayne State, Western Michigan University, and Grand Valley State University may still be on the revised list, but the list will be revised to reflect U.S. Department of Education data.
Wayne State University scored a spot on Best Colleges.com’s list of 50 of the Safest Colleges in America. The list is in no particular order and includes two other Michigan schools, Western Michigan University and Grand Valley State University.
Campus safety has become of utmost concern nationally in recent years with the rise of sexual assault, shootings and other criminal activity that has been inflicted on students. Problems such as these have only become more imminent on college campuses, and prospective students and families have taken safety into account when making that “next-step” decision for both graduates and under-graduates.
Because of the Clery Act that was passed by the Federal Government, universities are required to post yearly reports of all criminal activity and other incidents that would be regarded as “unsafe.” The seven types of incidents tracked are criminal homicide, sexual assault, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, motor vehicle theft, and arson.
These annual reports are then taken into account by bestcolleges.com to be analyzed and sorted with the intention of ranking colleges based on the records with the least amount of activity.
“The leadership at Wayne State, from the top down, has supported our police department and provided the necessary resources needed to deliver effective community policing,” Anthony Holt, WSU chief of police said. “The recognition as one of the nation’s safest college campuses would not have been possible without leadership support, community partnerships, and the dedication and resolve of our police officers and civilian employees within the WSUPD.”
Due to heightened campus patrols and other efforts, the Wayne State Police Department has managed to decrease the serious crime rate 52% since 2008. With 60 officers that cover the campus and neighboring midtown areas, personal safety has been a relatively minor issue in recent years.
To see a full list of safest colleges, click here.