Will parents follow suit at other urban schools?
USC has a Department of Public Safety (DPS) zone that is patrolled 24 hrs/day, 7 days/wk. It is paid for by the university which is, of course, paid by the parents.
I worked at a university in an urban center. It had its own security staff and was very safe (data backs up that statement). And like everything else related to the school, it was supported by tuition
1 Like
I assume UC Berkeley has its own campus police which at least some parents find inadequate for the situation.
This is private security. Supplemental to that provided by the school and the local police as well.
Ha! By the subject line I thought parents were hiring individual bodyguards for their kids 
6 Likes
UC Berkeley’s dorms are all off campus.
Shaking my head on why this has to be.
1 Like
yet another reason for my kids not to attend there!
3 Likes
Yes, as explained by @lkg4answers, UC Berkeley is an urban university in which dorms are located off campus. Dorms are located off campus at other urban universities as well (at least some of them such as UW Seattle; but I haven’t visited every urban university in the US 
).
Berkeley UCPD (campus police) is responsible for policing the campus, and the City of Berkeley police department (BPD) is responsible for other areas of Berkeley such as the area surrounding the dorms. Of course, there is some coordination between UCPD and BPD, too.
The area patrolled by the SafeBears initiative includes off-campus areas where the majority of dorms are located. There are also some dorms north of campus.
1 Like
I’m from Berkeley and tbh that area of town has always been dodgy especially at night. Homelessness and vagrancy have been a problem in Berkeley going on 40 years now. I’m not sure if there’s been a marked increase in violent crime specifically against students in the last few years, I hope not, but I have heard of muggings and people being accosted by mentally ill or drug addicted folks in a scary manner.
Increased presence of easily identifiable and non-armed safety ambassadors actually seems like a pretty good idea, along with increased vigilance from students who should be operating as if they’re in a city, ie don’t go out alone at night and don’t be stumbling around intoxicated.
The program seems to be successful at USC.
2 Likes
Hi! I am a Berkeley resident, a parent of a Berkeley student, and a member of the SafeBears group. SafeBears is doing great work to improve safety on our campus.
On its web site and in the media, in order to raise consciousness around these issues and exert pressure on the university and city to improve safety, SafeBears necessarily emphasizes the problems on our campus and in the surrounding area.
By talking very openly about these issues, of course we run the risk of frightening prospective students and families. If you go to the SafeBears web site, you might very well get the idea that our university and campus is an extremely dangerous place. Although this is definitely an urban area with typical urban crime, it’s also a vibrant student city with lots to recommend it. I have a college student at UCB and a high schooler at Berkeley High School (which is located near UCB on the other side of downtown). Safety is a concern for me and I’d like to see it improved, but I don’t constantly fear for their safety; my kids also benefit from the positive aspects of going to school in a lively urban area.
Berkeley is far from being the only university with safety issues. Many other universities are surrounded by urban areas with varying levels of crime. And students can also be at risk anywhere, even at a relatively safe and secluded college campus.
11 Likes
I think that all parents and students should perform due diligence when considering colleges. I have to admit that I was relieved when our S chose the university in the South Bay over Berkeley because of perceived crime and culture concerns. That said, when asked, our S is comfortable when he is on Berkeley campus (he has given a few talks there and his current GF is a PhD student there). We did feel safer with him at the school he attended.
Our D currently attends Johns Hopkins, and I have to admit I still worry some and will be relieved when she graduates.
2 Likes
If you are referring to Stanford, I agree with you that it’s in a safer area, and I can understand why you would feel more comfortable as a parent. However, I also had friends when I was a student there who were victims of some pretty horrible stuff (for example, one was gang raped at a frat party). I tell my kids to remain aware of their safety and surroundings wherever they are, whether it’s an urban, suburban, or secluded campus area.
6 Likes
I think it’s incumbent on all parents to tell their students that very thing.
The simple, yet uncomfortable, truth is that some college areas are safer than others. Just be aware of that.
3 Likes
Yes, I agree with that 100%!
But unfortunately no place is as safe as a parent would probably hope for their child. There is room to improve safety everywhere (and thus, there is value for parent groups like SafeBears at many or most schools).
1 Like
I would have been very stretched to post even more than we already paid for USoCal, to add paying for private security.
Campus security at USoCal isn’t perfect but is included as part of your expenses there. S had his phone and wallet stolen when he left them unattended once at school gym towards end of his 1st year there. Other than that, neither child indicated they nor friends had been victims of any crime.
It it s very sad that extra security is/may be needed due to crime and violence and a sad state of affairs. I wonder if this is considered in FAid packages too, as one more cost. 
The police force at the urban university where I worked policed the entire “Clery geography” of the main campus. The feeling was that because they were required by law to report all crimes that occurred within the Clery geography, they wanted the responsibility of patrolling the area. I think that’s wise. (This link has information about Clery geography: Clery Geography Overview | Office of Audit, Risk and Compliance | Michigan State University)
Not the first time parents turn to private security.
Of course, when current parents were college age, crime was much higher than now. But fear of crime is probably higher now.
4 Likes