JANUARY 7, 2020 — Editor’s note: A report reinforces the university’s top priority of ensuring that students and the entire campus community have the opportunity to live, learn and work in a safe environment. [First published Aug. 27, 2019]
A new report looking at the safety and security of America’s college campuses has named The University of Texas at San Antonio as one of the nation’s safest.
ASecureLife, a smart home and security company that researches and reviews the security industry, ranked the 100 most secure college campuses in the country. It ranks UTSA as the No. 2 safest university in Texas and the No. 30 safest in the nation. UTSA was recognized for its proactive measures to protect students, faculty, staff and visitors on campus.
To develop the ranking, ASecureLife researched, interviewed and analyzed 10 years’ worth of crime data from 320 four-year public and nonprofit colleges in the U.S., focusing on schools that offer student housing and have an average annual enrollment of 10,000 students or more. It looked at the number of criminal offenses on campus including assault, robbery and burglary from 2007 to 2017.
—GERALD LEWIS, Chief of Police
They found that UTSA had fewer property crimes on campus and safety initiatives in place to protect students compared to most colleges and universities.
“Assuring that our students and entire campus community can live, learn and work in a safe environment is our top priority,” said Gerald Lewis, UTSA's associate vice president for public safety and chief of police. “This high safety ranking is a credit to everyone in the UTSA Department of Public Safety as well as every member of our university community. Together, we are continually striving to improve safety on our campuses and we thank the administration and the university community for their continued partnership and support.”
UTSA takes proactive steps to cultivate a safe campus environment. It offers a variety of programs that encourage personal and community safety, such as It’s on Us: Call to Action Day, when Roadrunners take a stand against sexual violence; Party on the Paseo, which allows students to enjoy Fiesta San Antonio in a safe, alcohol-free environment; and National Night Out, a family-friendly event focused on safety and the prevention of crime. Many student organizations also partner with UTSA PD to hold safety awareness and education events throughout the year.
Additionally, the university enhanced its Orientation programs for Fall 2019 incoming students to place a greater emphasis on campus safety, and it offers residential curriculum for UTSA students living in on-campus housing.
Roadrunners can also connect directly to UTSA PD in addition to online safety resources by downloading the free Live Safe app on their mobile devices. The app crowdsources safety and security notices, offers a SafeWalk feature that allows families and friends to track their loved ones as they walk home, includes an anonymous reporting feature and allows students, faculty and staff to share their location in an emergency.
In all, 10 Texas universities made the ranking, the most of any state: Sam Houston State (28), UTSA (30), The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (31), Texas Women’s University (38), Texas Tech University (66), The University of North Texas (77), The University of Texas at Austin (79), Baylor University (95), The University of Texas at Dallas (97) and Texas A&M University (98).
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Group Spot B, John Peace LibraryThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
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