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When it comes to safety Millersville University receives an ‘A.’ With a score of 93.95 out of 100, it was recently ranked as the fifth safest college in Pennsylvania. StateUniversity.com, a leading website for college statistics, has compiled a list of the 450 safest colleges and universities on the state and national levels. This information is based on the number of incidents reported by campus safety officials, in which the University also ranked as 120th in the nation according to the Safe School Index.
“Providing a safe campus and community means having officers who are invested in the department and the University; it is the vast number of students, employees and residents who ensure Millersville as a nice place to live and visit,” explained Peter Anders, chief of police at Millersville University.
The number of aggravated assaults, robberies, burglaries, thefts, forcible rapes, arsons, motor vehicle thefts and murders that occur on campus are taken into account when calculating the final score. The reported crimes are then weighed based on the probability of each incident happening to each student, since larger campuses are expected to have a higher number of incidents. Violent crimes are given more weight in the ranking system and have a greater effect on the overall safety ranking than a non-violent crime such as theft.
The category that affected Millersville the most was theft, which only affected four people out of 1,000. There were no incidents of arson, murder, robbery or vehicle theft. Out of the 14 Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education schools, 11 received notable rankings within the top 20 list. Mansfield University ranked as number two, California University of Pa., at number three and Slippery Rock received fourth place.
Millersville also places a large priority on the prevention of campus violence through the Threat Assessment Team (TAT). The TAT at Millersville uses University personnel in specialized departments like health services, human development and the police department to respond to threats of violence that pose risks to the students, faculty or staff. “It is difficult to measure what events are prevented, but there should be comfort in knowing that we have a group that can attempt to intervene before a concern becomes a tragedy,” said Anders.
Any member of the campus community who becomes aware of a troubling person or situation that is causing serious anxiety, stress or fear should call the TAT at 717-872-3717. In cases where a person may pose an immediate risk of violence to self or others, please call 911.
