Report shows colleges relatively safe
A recent compilation of crime statistics from college campuses across the country by the U.S. Department of Education suggests that the average student is safer than the average citizen, but experts warn the data is unreliable.The department broke individual crime categories into per-student statistics and concluded that in most cases the occurrence of crime on campus was much lower than that for the nation.For instance, based on reported statistics from 1997, 1998 and 1999, the national rate of sex offenses was 14.8 per 100,000 students while the overall national rate was 32.7 per 100,000 people.Though these numbers seem to speak well of college campus safety, experts argue the statistics may be unsound and that the short-term study may be overvalued."The problem is the way [the department] calculated the rates," said Daniel Carter, vice president of Safety on Campus ? a non-profit organization in King of Prussia, PA, that acts as a campus crime watch dog and also provides victim assistance.Carter noted that the overall national crime rates and the national campus crime rates are not comparable because of a population variable.