Amidst the hustle and bustle of college life, safety and awareness often take a back seat to studying and socializing. The average college student has an overflowing schedule full of classes, study groups, extracurricular activities and periodically even a social life. Gustavus works to protect students’ safety and well being through the Campus Safety Department.

Director of Campus Safety Ray Thrower has been with Gustavus for nearly 11 years. During his time in this field of work, Thrower has become acclimated to the ins and outs of campus safety and crimes on campus. According to Thrower, “one of the most common crimes on campus is theft.” People have been known to unthinkingly leave their dorm rooms or cars unlocked, or leave backpacks and laptops sitting unattended in the library, which can lead to theft.

Bicycle theft has also been a worrisome problem at Gustavus. In order to thwart these criminals a new bicycle registration program was implemented. Thrower stated that this program has been a “great success” when identifying and returning stolen bicycles to their rightful owners.

Other changes in campus safety policy are taking place this year. The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act states that higher education institutions must “collect, report and disseminate crime data to the campus community and U.S. department of Education.” This act helps keep the community aware of crimes on campus and also keeps community members updated on serious issues that could affect their well being.

Gustavus is taking this requirement one step further. Certain measures are being taken to make the response and reporting of crimes on campus proactive instead of reactive. This means that Gustavus not only reacts to reported crimes that take place on campus, but it looks for ways to prevent crime as well.

It is important that students understand the risks and dangers of college life in order to remain both safe and aware. To make that possible, crime and fire logs will become available online at gustavus.edu/safety. This year students will be able to take a closer look at crimes taking place in and around Gustavus.

Copies of crime reports can be sent to students and others if requested. Hopefully, this new addition to Campus Safety will help make students more aware of crimes on campus and what they can do to keep themselves safe.

With all of this talk about crimes on campus, you may find yourself thinking that Gustavus is quite a dangerous place. However, according to Thrower, “We are very fortunate.” Gustavus has very little crime and is “in range with other schools our size.” Also, during his career at Gustavus, Thrower hasn’t noticed much of a change in either the types of crime or the number of crimes committed every year. Many students also feel that Gustavus is an astonishingly safe campus.

Gustavus not only protects its students, but it also goes out of its way to prevent any harm that may befall that student. One aspect of Gustavus safety is the escort system.

Junior Linda Evans stated that “knowing I can always get an escort after dark makes me feel safe on campus.”

Other students feel that Gustavus is a safe school because of its size and location. Junior Biology Major Chris Whitney said “I think that a lot of it has to do with the size of the campus and the small town feel of St. Peter, as opposed to a large metropolitan area.”

Junior Health Fitness Major Amanda Hestness also feels that Gustavus is a safe place to live “because of the feeling of being in a small community.”

Sophomore Emily Hoene, who works as a campus safety dispatcher, also has strong feelings about the safety of Gustavus and those who protect our students. “The officers are funny and very caring about the students. My job gives me good life skills and teaches me how to deal with issues. Some people think that Campus Safety is out to get them, but they are just here doing their job.”

Junior Art Studio Major Annie Ahlbrecht also voiced her opinion about the safety of Gustavus. “I feel very safe on campus, but whenever I have the slightest feeling that I’m not, I just call for an escort. Gustavus is such a close knit community that you can’t help but feel safe.”