Campus crime down; drug and liquor violations up

By Salimah McCullough | Published by October 28, 2019

The number of drug and alcohol-related incidents recorded last year on the Union campus almost doubled but the overall crime was down, according to the 2019-2020 Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report. Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report 

The report for calendar year 2018 showed 91 liquor law violations, up from 54 in the 2017 calendar year. Of those violations, five resulted in arrests.

There were 81 drug-related violations in 2018, up from 47. Of the total drug violations, 12 ended in arrests.

Four weapons possessions were reported on campus, up from one. Only one of the four weapon possessions in 2018 ended in arrests.   

From January to December 2018, overall crime including rape, motor vehicle theft, domestic violence, and dating violence decreased.

The numbers in 2018 showed six rapes, down from seven; two burglary cases, down from eight; one motor vehicle theft, down from eight cases; two domestic violence cases, down from ten and three dating violence cases, down from six.

Kean University releases an Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report each year required by law under the Jeanne Clery Act to provide students and faculty with information regarding campus life, public and fire safety information.

Margaret McCorry, a spokesperson for Kean, did not comment directly on the numbers but said, the university “has a zero-tolerance policy for on-campus drug and alcohol use by students.”

She explained that the process is that the Office of Residential Student Services and campus police work together and students who are suspected of violating the Student Code of Conduct are referred for disciplinary hearings.

“For most of those students, Kean takes an educational approach, requiring participation in a variety of educational programs, including the Choices and Alternatives programs, which offer counseling and substance abuse screening,” McCorry said.

While crime overall is showing a decline, there were some crimes that have gone up from the previous year, including robbery, which went from none in 2017 to one last year; and fondling, which went from two to four.

Fondling, according to the safety report, is defined as the touching of the private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification, without the consent of the victim, including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her age or because of his/her temporary or permanent mental incapacity.

Rape is defined as the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus, with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim. This offense includes the rape of both males and females.

“Campus safety is a top priority at Kean,” McCorry said. “The University is fortunate to have its own police force and has increased the number of security officers to provide additional protection. Kean’s Department of Public Safety/Police works diligently and around the clock to ensure that our campus continues to be recognized as one of the safest in America.”

When thinking about how safe the Kean campus is compared to other New Jersey colleges, Kean ranks among one of the safest. Niche.com ranked Kean as the seventeenth safest college campus giving it an overall grade of B for campus safety.

“I’m glad the numbers went down,” said Linibeth Tavarez, a senior majoring in marketing. “But seeing the data, there is a safety issue. I would like to see the numbers go down especially for rape (cases).”

The perspective of campus safety differs for each student depending on various factors. For commuters, it may feel different to them than it would to a person who lives on campus. Also with commuters, some may have a car or some may have to take the train or bus, so the level of safety one feels could differ from another.

“I generally feel safe throughout the day,” said Brianna Daquino, senior studying accounting who commutes to school. “But at night, walking back to my car, I feel more unsafe because it’s so dark and there really aren’t campus police around everywhere.”

Transfer student Courtney Coleman said she feels safe on campus, especially because there is a police station on campus.

“I do (feel completely safe here),” said Coleman, who is a senior majoring in communication. “I think I might’ve felt safer at Raritan Valley Community College, where I transferred from only because it was in the middle of nowhere but I did feel reassured that there was a police station on campus.”

 McCorry said anyone who feels unsafe on campus can take a number of actions:

• Call 9-1-1 in an emergency, or call the University Police dispatch at 908-737-4800 to make a report or ask for an escort. 
• Use one of the 21 blue light emergency phones that are located across campus.
•  Download and use the app ELERTS See Say, which provides a number of services including the GPS-based “Escort Me” function. It allows the University Police to monitor the user on campus in real-time and provide a “virtual escort”. If a distress signal is activated, the police respond immediately.

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