Each year on Oct. 1, universities nationwide are required to disseminate a summary of reported crimes on or near campus. The Annual Security Reports for all campuses outline three-year statistics on several different crimes from motor vehicle theft and weapons violations to drug violations and sexual assault.
Kent State continues to be one of the nation’s safest campuses. In June 2017, the Kent Campus was named the 11th Safest Campus in the Nation and the safest campus in Ohio by the Council for Home Safety and Security. The university remains firmly committed to the health and wellness of its students, faculty and staff and has expanded its educational programs and crime prevention initiatives to encourage personal safety for the entire campus community.
This year’s reports reflect low or no instances of crime in the majority of categories. On the Kent Campus, reports of sexual assault rose from six in 2015 to 18 reports in 2016, and 11 reports of stalking compared to five last year. The rise in reports of sexual assault and stalking is attributed to increased awareness, availability of support services and more individuals who are willing to step forward and report such incidents. Earlier this year, a university-wide campus climate study showed that Kent State students feel strongly that university leaders take reports of sexual assault seriously, would take steps to protect and support someone making a report, would take action against alleged offenders, would protect victims from retaliation and would address the factors that led to sexual misconduct. These responses on Kent State’s climate study were all above the averages for other university campuses.
“The university has taken proactive measures to educate the Kent State community about these types of crimes and encourage reporting of such incidents,” said Dean Tondiglia, Kent State’s police chief and director of public safety. “As a result, more students are coming forward as they learn about the resources and support services available at Kent State.”
The university’s sexual violence prevention campaign stresses a collective commitment to “See It, State It, Stop It,” including telling someone about all instances of misconduct, stalking or violence.
“While we never want to see an increase in assaults or other crimes, we continue to do all we can to create an atmosphere that encourages members of our community to report incidents, either to the police, a healthcare provider, student services staff member, faculty member or friend,” said Lamar Hylton, Ph.D., dean of students in Kent State’s Division of Student Affairs.
Kent State is proud to be a model for innovative safety education programs, including a campus residence hall security program with a student security escort service. Kent State Police Services was the first university police department in Ohio accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) and it is the only university police department in the country to receive Flagship status by CALEA a record three times.
The university offers extensive student-centered support related to sexual misconduct to raise awareness, improve education and understanding and expand resources to support students.
- The Sexual Assault Response Team (SART)
- Coordinated Community Response Team (CCR)
- Title IX
- Sexual and Relationship Violence Support Services (SRVSS)
- “See It, State It, Stop It”
- Green Dot
- “Think About It”
“Kent State remains committed to increasing awareness, response and prevention education outreach to students so that they are well-informed and well-prepared to respond and seek out help when needed,” Dr. Hylton said.
Learn more about Kent State’s safety resources by visiting the Campus Safety webpage. Remember, anyone can call 911 from any phone on campus, push the emergency button on any blue light phone located throughout campus or dial 330-672-2212 for the Kent State Police Communications Center.
View the Annual Security Reports.
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Media Contacts:
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595
Kristin Anderson, kander63@kent.edu, 330-672-7907