^^^ I think there’s probably a lot of truth to @researchperson 's comment that the country environment can create a false sense of security. We’ve been to IUB twice, but neither visit involved a weekend night.
Spouse and I are both from the metro NYC area so we have a high level of natural vigilance, and I think we’ve imparted it to our daughter. I too attended a very large school with a party reputation, and then lived off campus in the same town. We had a safety escort service even then, and I never had a problem.
We met with a senior administrator at DePaul during one of our visits there. The Lincoln Park area of Chicago has had some trouble with crimes against DePaul students (and others) by outsiders coming into the area on weekends. His position, which I do not disagree with at all, is that common sense and vigilance should prevail. You can’t rely on anyone else to keep you safe. If students have a “buddy system” and are walking with one or two companions on well-lit streets at 10 p.m., are sober enough to be aware of their surroundings, and have their transportation figured out, that’s very different from a lone man or woman stumbling around intoxicated at 1:30 a.m. Yes, odds are higher that the latter person might get robbed or injured.
Temple is really sensitized to this as well, since their surrounding neighborhood is questionable to say the least. They have their entire campus so brightly lit at night that it shows up in aerial photos almost brighter than the airport. Administration attitudes … well, we’ve only been there once and didn’t have a chance to visit with the housing department, so it’s hard to say. But definitely something to watch for.
I do feel a little disturbed, since IUB is a candidate for our D, if it’s true that the administration is not receptive to parent concerns and there’s a disconnect between housing and police. When you have that many dorms spread over that large an area, housing and the police have to work hand in hand.