The area surrounding St. Louis University is not known for its of safety. For some students it is the butt of a joke, a scary anecdote or the setting of a “you’ll never believe what I saw” story. In a recent survey taken by CAP Index, Inc., of Exton, Pa., for APB News, a criminal justice news service, SLU has been deemed a high risk college community (number 23 to be exact).
Earlier in the semester, in a letter to SLU, J. Robert Port, Senior Computer-Assisted Reporting Editor for APB news said, “Our analysis shows your campus and its surrounding neighborhood to have a very high risk of violent crime.”
This makes St. Louis University out to be one of the most dangerous places in the country–a place parents would rather not send their children. However, last year SLU had the lowest crime rate of the four large schools (University of Missouri St. Louis, Washington University, St. Louis University, and University of Missouri Columbia) in the state of Missouri. SLU’s crime rate is eight times lower than Columbia.
Other “urban universities” (Marquette, Loyola, etc.) were questioned about the survey and their role in it, but nobody else seems to have received responses on the matter. Director of Public Safety Jack Titone attributes this to the recent release of less-than-appealing crime statistics concerning St. Louis that are part of the data reviewed in the reporting system. Likewise, no campus police associations have heard of the analysis, the APB or the CAP Index.
The statistics gathered in the report were taken from the last census, which occurred in 1990, and applied to the campus as it stands in 1999. In that nine years, SLU, along with the St. Louis metropolitan area has changed drastically. Around the nation crime as a whole is believed to be declining. The city of St. Louis has made several efforts to revitalize areas that had been in disarray.
The last 10 years have also been full of change for SLU. The area at the corner of Grand and Lindell, which is now a fountain and relaxation area, used to be a bank. The walkway that links the campus between Grand and Vandeventer was West Pine Blvd., and a somewhat run-down area just east of the campus dubbed Laclede Town no longer exists. In fact, the only reminder of Laclede Town is the name given to the newly constructed ponds and walkways near the Olive Street garage. The faulty research also spoiled the name of Harris Stowe State College (Number 22 on the list), located near Laclede and Compton Ave.
“The analysis really makes SLU, along with the rest of St. Louis, look bad,” said Titone.
E-mail released by Executive Vice President Dr. James Kimmey stated that “We believe APB has behaved irresponsibly and sensationally in producing a report based on flawed analysis.”
Many believe the approach that APB took to its analysis was extremely haphazard. The group never sent a representative to the school, nor did it use the information that the school sent it. It also failed to recognize FBI and campus crime statistics.
The critical figures picked out by APB in their analysis are the social and economic factors, not crimes that have been reported to the proper authorities. This gives areas surrounding the campus extremely unsafe ratings. In fact, areas of St. Louis no more than five blocks north of SLU have been given a rating of 10, which means that it is an extremely unsafe area of town.
Regarding the policing of SLU’s campus, the e-mail released by Kimmey also stated that “Saint Louis University is committed to providing a safe environment for students, faculty, staff and visitors to our campus.”
This year the school has spent over $20 million on safety improvements around the campus.
When asked about the area, freshman Keith Beatty of Greenville, Ill., said, “It feels safe on campus, but there are places just off campus where I would not want to be walking alone at night.”
“Yeah, the borders at night are Del Taco and the Fox Theatre, but besides that I wouldn’t travel too far,” said Jay Willibrand, a student from Jefferson City, Mo.
“During the day, though, it’s pretty safe. I don’t get scared about walking to Schnucks (on Lindell) or anyplace like that,” said Matt Marino, a student from Webster Groves.
APB has determined a response deadline for SLU concerning the allegations made by the survey. Currently, there are many actions being looked into. According to Kimmey, these range from an attack on the manner in which APB conducted their survey, to “offering a positive spin story concerning the effectiveness of Public Safety in minimizing crime in an adverse urban environment, to threatening legal action.”
For anyone who would like to view the web site, the address is http://www.apbnews.com//safetycenter/index.html
