Three-quarters of Ivy League campuses have rates of forcible sex offenses higher than national rape averages, and nearly half report burglary rates higher than the national average, says a campus crime study published by Insite Security. Three quarters of the schools examined reported forcible sex offenses higher than the national rape averages with Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire reporting the highest campus sexual offense rate while Harvard has the highest incidence of burglary.

 

"Rape is a serious national problem that affects young women of college age more than any other group," said Christopher Falkenberg, President of Insite Security. "Far more prevalent than rape on college campuses, however, are forcible sex offenses where women are subjected to unwanted touching, humiliation, and abuse at levels far higher than mere rape statistics suggest."

 

"Colleges have historically underreported crimes that happen on campus. Of even greater importance is the fact that Universities do not have to report crimes that happen close to campus and impact their students. For example, incidents occurring in a coffee house near to campus would not be reported even though its clientele would likely be dominated by students from the University. Our study juxtaposes local police agency data with campus crime statistics to give the clearest view of how safe the U.S.'s top schools actually are," said Falkenberg.

 

 "Parents are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars sending their children to institutes of higher learning and in return should expect a safe environment both on campus and off." Falkenberg added, "Following the rape and murder of 19-year-old Jeanne Clery in her dorm, her family persuaded Congress to enact legislation mandating universities to disclose information about crime on their campuses. It is a tribute to their efforts that this information is now available. But parents also need to be aware of crime problems in areas surrounding campuses where their children socialize and in some cases actually live. Students don't only face dangers on campus. They face them in bars, in coffee-houses, on streets, at parties and so on. Insite's Ivy League Crime Report will empower parents across the country to make more informed decisions and take actions to help protect their children before they get to school."

 

Find out more at www.insitesecurity.com