Annual Security & Fire Safety Report
October 1, 2012
Safety and Security Information
Safety is an important issue for the Michigan State University community. All members of the campus community - students, faculty, and staff - should take an active role in preventing and reporting incidents that jeopardize safety on and around campus. Please review this information carefully.
Michigan State University, in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy & Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Higher Education Opportunity Act, has published this report to provide its students and employees with an overview of the University's security and safety resources, policies, and procedures. Specifically, the report contains information about the campus, police and public safety resources, reporting crimes, fire and medical emergencies, victim support services, residence hall security, crime and fire statistics, the University Policy on Sexual Harassment, the MSU Drug and Alcohol Policy, and other resources.
Campus crime statistics included in this report are gathered from a variety of sources, including campus and local law enforcement agencies and campus officials with significant responsibility for student and campus activities. To make an accurate and complete assessment of the crime statistics, it is important to consider the many factors that can affect the variation in crime statistics from year-to-year. For example, statistics for some crimes may be higher in a particular year, not because there is more crime, but rather because the local law enforcement agency through proactive efforts identifies more offenses. Citizens’ attitudes toward crime and their crime reporting practices, especially concerning minor offenses, also have an impact on the volume of crimes reported to the police.
The University also engages in significant educational efforts related to personal safety. These activities increase the campus community’s awareness of crimes and how to report them, which can result in higher crime statistics. The accurate reporting of crimes is one indicator of success of the University’s safety education efforts.
Other factors that are known to affect crime statistics include, but are not limited to, the population size of an institution, effective strength (personnel and other resources) of law enforcement agencies, and administrative and investigative emphases of law enforcement (e.g., increase in zero-tolerance policing). Meaningful comparisons of the crime statistics over time can only be made with careful study and analysis of the various unique conditions specific to the location.
Michigan State University is dedicated to maintaining a learning environment where members of the campus community can excel unencumbered by fears of personal well-being. The University’s intent in publishing this report is to communicate not only mandatory information such as crime statistics and fire safety data, but also to provide insight into the many ways in which MSU strives to keep the campus community safe. A hard copy of this report may be obtained by contacting the Department of Student Life at (517) 355-8286, or e-mail stulife@msu.edu.
Click here to download the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (PDF, 223kB)