It's dinner time and you've been stuck in class all day. You pack your books after your last class and walk outside to call your roommate to meet you at Dewick. As you push the "off" button, you mentally praise the convenience of the campus phone and hurry to your meal. A common scene, but how many times have you used a blue-light phone for its original purpose - a safety emergency? And the last time you strolled home from the library at 2 a.m., did you stop to consider that you might not be safe?
Although the issue of campus safety has arose over the past year, with talk of bathroom locks in South Hall and the possible installment of card-activated locks on dorms, most students are not concerned about their security at Tufts.
"I feel safe for the most part," said Reyna Kodama, a freshman. "I've walked around campus midnight or later without too much worry, but I still wouldn't want to walk totally across campus after midnight. I would call a friend and if someone wasn't available I would call for a student escort."
The day of the week also affects how safe students feel, according to Kordama, who said she wouldn't walk around campus alone on weekend nights, when students can get "rowdy."
The latest crime statistics for Tufts' Medford campus were compiled in 1999. The crime rate was relatively low - while statistics show an increase of alcohol and drug-related arrests, violations, and disciplinary referrals, and incidents of burglary as well, no aggravated assaults were reported, down from three in 1998.
Many students feel safe at Tufts' college campus because of its suburban surroundings. "We're not in the city like BU or MIT, where it's busier and there may be more sketchy people around," Kodama said.
With a greater student population at BU, 18,018 compared to Tufts' 4,977, and an urban setting, BU understandably suffers from more crime. The total count of burglary at BU for 1999 was 42, three times the number of burglaries that occurred on the Medford campus for that same year. BU also reported 11 cases of aggravated assault in 1999, whereas Tufts had none. Cases of forcible sexual offenses were closer in number - in 1999, BU reported five and Tufts reported three.
MIT, another urban school, also reports higher incidents of crime than Tufts. Whereas Tufts reported no robberies or aggravated assaults in 1999, MIT reported four robberies and one aggravated assault. MIT reported nine hate crimes in 1999, while Tufts did not have any that year. At MIT, 57 thefts from residence halls were reported, matching the school's 1998 number, with bicycles and electronic equipment leading the list of items most frequently stolen.
According to official statistics, MIT's campus policy most often respond to complaints of larceny. But the number of campus larcenies dropped dramatically in 1998, with 469 reported, compared with 723 in 1997.
Though Tufts does not confront the problems urban schools face, the campus does take steps to ensure student safety. "We are very fortunate to have few crimes on campus," Dean of Students Bruce Reitman said, adding that Tufts' community policing system, one of the leading programs in the country, helps maintain low levels of campus crime.
According to the Tufts Department of Public and Environmental Safety website, community policing is "a philosophy of policing in which officers work closely with community residents, developing a sense of the character of the neighborhood through regular, informal contacts with residents and institutions serving the area."
The liaison program raises student awareness, bringing officers into residence halls to speak about crime prevention. Tufts' police department publicizes security alerts to make students aware of crimes committed on campus.
In addition to these programs, the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) maintains campus safety through regular crime prevention checks - patrolling dorms and checking campus lighting, for example.
The campus shuttle is another University safety measure, allowing students to avoid late-night walks from Davis Square.
Although most blue phone usage is not in emergency situations, Rodriguez fields several calls from the campus phones. "I would say that the blue light phones are used regularly," she said.
TUPD has recently added a student escort service to complement the police escort service already available. According to Sonya Rodriguez, head of the student escort service, the program was implemented because of student interest and input.
"Basically, we are looking for dependable, trustworthy people," Rodriguez said.
The student escorts wear brightly colored vests, and are equipped with radios to contact TUPD. The escorts act as the eyes and ears for officers busy patrolling the campus. Two escorts are available every night of the week, on weekdays from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. and on weekends from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
"We get a couple of calls a night," Rodriguez said of the escort services. "We receive fewer calls on the weekends and more calls during study times."
Rodriguez emphasized that the student escort service could be used in small groups as well, since the escorts are easily identifiable and act as crime deterrents.
While many students feel safe on campus, one freshman taking the Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) class stressed the importance of being cautious.
"I do feel that this is a safe campus, but the class has made me more aware and does sort of provide a certain sense of paranoia," said the student, who asked not to be identified.
The RAD class is taught by TUPD and presents students with dangerous situations to raise their awareness of crime. As for the student escorts, the freshman said it is a great idea. It would be "less awkward - no random guy with a gun," she said.
