<p>I spent 6 years at Pitt, and my son is in his 5th year at Pitt. No violent crime problems at all. Pittsburgh is an awesome city with much to offer in the way of cultural venues, sports, etc. The neighborhoods are vibrant and the people are friendly.</p>
<p>As with ANY city, you need to use common sense. Even in the smallest rural LAC, you have isolated instances of theft and date rape, and of course under-age drinking or drug use.</p>
<p>How you look at it also depends on where you’re from. If you’re from a rural or small suburban place then yeah the crime will be higher but if you’re from another major city (I come from Baltimore) the crime in Pittsburgh doesn’t even come close. If Pittsburgh scares you I would stay away from NYC, LA, Chicago, DC and pretty much every other major city.</p>
<p>Plus I’m not saying anyone deserves to get stabbed or shot or anything, but the people who that usually happens to put themselves in a bad position. Going into the worst parts of town drunken and screaming or drawing a ton of attention to yourself probably isnt the best idea.</p>
<p>Well, my wife was robbed at gun point walking home from the library at night time, hardly putting herself in a “bad position”, unless you consider walking alone in Oakland at night is doing just that, which it is - but it just proves my point, it’s unsafe.</p>
<p>I agree that comparatively Pittsburgh crime rate isn’t as severe as other big cities, but that’s not the argument I was trying to make.</p>
<p>Living in Pittsburgh, you are constantly inundated with the “beauty of Pitt campus” and the “wonderful historic neighborhood” that is Oakland - that is a joke. I’m not saying Pitt is the most dangerous campus in the world, but it’s a far cry from the image the school tries to portray.</p>
<p>As I said, if you are on campus you are pretty safe, wonder offer and you really have no idea what to expect. </p>
<p>The criminals locaed a few blocks away don’t have boundaries, there is no magic wall that prevents the Hell District scum from coming into the college crowd. If you think “a few blocks” is enough distance to separate yourself from a VERY dangerous neighborhood than you got your head in the sand.</p>
<p>You can hear the administration talk about how great and safe Oakland is, but I will bet you dollars to donuts they wouldn’t walk alone through the neighborhoods at dark.</p>
<p>I’m not knocking the schools programs or the education - it’s a solid school, for people to imply that I have some axe to grind with Pitt because I went to a rival school is stupid. My wife went there, lots of friends went there, I worked in Oakland, a season ticket holder for both Pitt football and basketball games, ect. There’s no alternative motive here other than to show the situation for what it is.</p>
<p>The school certainly has strong qualities, but if I were deciding between Pitt and some other school, all things being equal academically - I’d decline to go to Pitt for multiple reasons.</p>
<p>No one calls it the Hell District. It’s not a few blocks, and the closest it gets is 4-5 blocks from a gym that’s out of the way to begin with. </p>
<p>You’re not from Pittsburgh and have spent little time in Oakland (as already shown by your lack of knowledge.) Your other posts make it pretty clear you’re a ■■■■■, or at the very least a depressing person.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p><a href=“Hate my major, now what? - College Life - College Confidential Forums”>Hate my major, now what? - College Life - College Confidential Forums;
<p>Stop posting.</p>
<p>People do call it the Hell District, especially police. I know from when I was an investigator, it’s a common term - take a walk through the area and find out for yourself.</p>
<p>More than likely I’ve spent more time in Oakland than you have, considering you said you’ve been living there for 1.5 years or so. I lived there for awhile when my wife was finishing up school, and worked there on a daily basis for a couple years. But it’s irrelevant, how well I know an area (and I know it very well, lived there, worked there) doesn’t change it’s conditions.</p>
<p>The fact that I confused two parallel roads (Forbes and 5th) is stupid, I’m not sure why you are harping on it. </p>
<p>But hey, don’t let the facts of the argument get in your way…enjoy the ignorant bliss.</p>
<p>Lol, how many blocks is close enough - The Hill borders Oakland on the East and Southeast, you can deny that all you want - but again, don’t let the facts get in the way.</p>
<p>Besides, it’s just not The Hill, Oakland itself just isn’t nice. It’s very rundown with a high precentage of slumlords and beat-down housing, vandalism, ect. </p>
<p>If you’re happy living there - fantastic, it works for some. My wife, regardless of some of the incidents that happened to her and her friends still love Pitt, so I’m not doing anything than supplying information to people who aren’t aware, from out of town, have kids attending pitt, ect.</p>
<p>Calling me a ■■■■■ because I’m not drinking your Kool-Aid is stupid, I won’t ignore a problem when one exists.</p>
<p>P.S. The post you quoted was written in sarcasm, again…not sure why you are harping about it.</p>
<p>I’m done arguing with you. You’re a ■■■■■ and that’s pretty obvious to anyone who reads your posts.</p>
<p>To anyone else who’s concerned about Oakland being “run-down”, take a look at this and tell me how it looks.</p>
<p>[Pantherlair.com</a> - Message Boards](<a href=“http://pittsburgh.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=683&tid=139382896&mid=139382896&sid=996&style=1]Pantherlair.com”>http://pittsburgh.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=683&tid=139382896&mid=139382896&sid=996&style=1)</p>
<p>Hmmm,</p>
<p>This has gotten heated but i would have to say aglages is right. </p>
<p>Mostly i feel safe as a student here. I always feels safe when i am on campus itself. </p>
<p>Going into South Oakland where i live now feels a little less safe but i have had no problems. </p>
<p>I have had people approach me asking for money and be pushy but not aggressive. I witnessed a drug deal at about 3 am on Forbes Avenue or the corner of Oakland. Neither of those struck me as dangerous to me though.</p>
<p>I did have a friend robbed at gunpoint by a crack addict. She was fine.</p>
<p>It is much more dangerous if you are alone, at night, a girl, or drunk. I would suggest that anyone who makes sure that no more than two of those apply you will be safe 99.9% of the time. </p>
<p>Just my take.</p>
<p>Pitt is safe. Yes, there is crime. But a lot of it occurs in “bad” neighborhoods. I walk alone at night in Oakland and Squirrel Hill, and I feel safe. However, not at 3am. And not in “bad” areas, places that aren’t well lit, etc etc. </p>
<p>A lot of the violence that occurs towards college students is because a lot of college kids look “weak.” My friends and I notice a significant amount of kids quickly hurrying through the dark, acting scared, blah blah. Those kids get mugged. CMU students are targeted a lot too, just because people assume they’re all rich and Asian. College kids are seen as easy prey, so you just have to look like you know what you’re doing. Saying “ohhh, Pittsburgh is a HELL HOLE OF DEATHHHH” is just going to produce more scared kids that make easy prey. </p>
<p>And yes, you could get attacked even if you do everything right. But that happens everywhere.</p>
<p>bigeast=■■■■■. The Hill is physically separated. You can’t just accidentally wander off into bad areas from Oakland. What bad areas? Please describe a realistic route a student would take wondering off into a bad area or into the Hill.</p>
<p>The Hill is physically seperated? By what? A wall? A net? Military checkpoint?</p>
<p>You think the bad elements of one area can’t spread into it’s adjacent neigbhorhood?</p>
<p>As I said, The Hill borders Oakland in the East and Southeast. Besides, Oakland has a very high rate of robbers of its own, regardless of The Hill District influence. Lot of vandalism, lots of home break-in, lots of muggings.</p>
<p>Oakland itself is a bad area, if I was a female I wouldn’t feel safe walking alone at night. Which kind of makes life difficult, huh?</p>
<p>Physically separated by a giant hill that is not connected or conducive to pedestrian traffic. ■■■■■, explain the route a student takes to wander into a bad area from Oakland. How do you wander into the hill? Since the Robinson Court projects were dismantled over a decade ago, there is little to no traffic between the two. You have exposed yourself as being clueless and unfamiliar with Oakland. </p>
<p>You are also completely clueless about the amount of crime at Pitt, which is actually lower in both total Part I (violent) and Part II (nonviolent) crimes in 2008 and '07 than in State College, PA…and that is with Oakland being the third most congested urban area in the state after downtown Philadelphia and downtown Pittsburgh. So, it is blatantly false that there is more total crime at Pitt. This is from statistics from the Clery Uniform Crime Reporting Act and contains reports to both the Pitt Police and City of Pittsburgh police both on-campus and areas surrounding it (compare [Pitt</a> crime report](<a href=“http://www.safety.pitt.edu/campuscrimeReport/index.html]Pitt”>http://www.safety.pitt.edu/campuscrimeReport/index.html) to [Penn</a> State-U Park](<a href=“http://www.police.psu.edu/cleryact/documents/2009-101504%20c%20PolicySafety_UnivPrk.pdf]Penn”>http://www.police.psu.edu/cleryact/documents/2009-101504%20c%20PolicySafety_UnivPrk.pdf)). You also show a complete lack of knowledge of how Pitt handles safety, as it patrols a wide area throughout “off-campus” Oakland that supplements city patrols to such a degree it would require the city to increase its force by 10% if didn’t do so. It in no way just dumps responsibility on the city. That is ludicrous, since it is actually the complete opposite. The Pitt Police is the third largest police force in Allegheny County and built a large safety facility/headquarters within the last four years. Do you even know where that is located? I doubt it. </p>
<p>I agree with one thing. A female should not walk alone at night anywhere, on any campus, even in Morgantown. Pitt is still urban, and like any city students should use common sense and not put themselves in bad positions such as being isolated and inebriated. Don’t make yourself a target. Good common sense. Oakland is not a bad area, and absolutely does not have a “high rate of robbers, vandalism, home break-ins, or muggings”. That is patently false, and the statistics bare out your fallacy.</p>
<p>BigEastBeast, you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but at least admit that it is colored by the fact that your wife was mugged. I’m not sure in which direction she was walking from the library (Hillman, I presume, if this incident ever really occurred), but a woman walking anywhere alone at night is a target on almost any campus. </p>
<p>First, don’t walk alone at night if you can avoid it. If you do walk, do not allow other people to get close to you. Do not walk on the part of the sidewalk near bushes or buildings. When you use a mac machine, be aware of anyone around you. If you drive, keep your doors locked and check your car before you get in it. Just common sense things can help to keep you safe.</p>
<p>PS -I have lived in Pittsburgh my whole life, and NOBODY calls the Hill District the “hell district” - nobody. We also do not have subs or soda here. ;)</p>
<p>I gues in your world bad people don’t drive cars? That “The Hill Element” is restricted from Oakland? Of course, not…it’s a few blocks away, bus drive, car drive. </p>
<p>Here is what you statistics include.</p>
<p>1) On campus and within all campus buildings</p>
<p>2) On-campus residence halls or other student residential facilities</p>
<p>2) Noncampus buildings or properties"those properties owned or leased by the institution that are used in direct support of the institutions educational purposes, are frequently used by students, and that are not within the same reasonably contiguous geographical area of the institution."</p>
<p>3) Public property"all public property that is within the campus or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus." </p>
<p>So if a house is broken into on say Oakland Ave (just one example), it’s not included in your statistics because the property is not adjacent to Pitt property and it’s not reported to do the school. </p>
<p>Chart III would have to give parameters for it to be convincing. For example, when they arrest men having gay sex in Schenley Park, do they include that? Is that considered a “surrounding area?” </p>
<p>Besides, that’s reported crime. How many crimes get unreported because the victim is either to scared, or afraid to come forward (usually because they are drunk or high) - in an area that is mostly college students that is a high percentage of unreported crime.</p>
<p>For anyone who wants to make the decision for themselves - go see for yourself. Go drive through South Oakland and the area up by the Peterson Event Center, go on down to Centre - go a few more blocks and hit Penn Circle and Penn Avenue. See if those are places you want your child to be walking around, or living in.</p>
<p>When your daughter (a nursing major) has to work nights at Magee, are you going to feel comfortable with her going to and from?</p>
<p>All food for thought. Just don’t publicly raise your concerns - that just makes you a ■■■■■.</p>
<p>IKE725,</p>
<p>I’d appreciate it if you didn’t imply I was lying about my wifes story. That was pretty traumatic for her as well as I. Earlier a poster said that her friend was robbed by a “crack head”, would you like to call her a liar too?</p>
<p>Second, my opinions from from various sources, not just my wifes experience. As I said, I lived in Oakland…had my car broken into and on another occassion had a man, (not a student, I’d say late 30’s) so blind drunk he tried to kick down my door because he was convinced he lived there.</p>
<p>I know several people (man and women) who were robbed on the streets with a gun, or pure force. </p>
<p>As I also said, I worked as an investigator in that area…doing all types of activities, and I saw the area for what it is.</p>
<p>Also, whats the point of comparing it with PSU? PSU has an enrollment of 44,000 (University Park) and is the 10th largest university in the US.</p>
<p>I think Pitt only has about 20,000 (maybe 25,000 -26,000 with the satellite schools), so of course there is going to be more STUDENT related crime when you have double the population (sampling population).</p>
<p>
My daughter will be a nursing student. Just as my wife was 30 years ago. If she had to walk to McGee by herself between 12 midnight and 6AM then maybe I would be concerned. Fortunately they scheduled student nursing clinicals around the beginning of shifts (7am-3pm-11pm) and students nurses walk with at LEAST one other person and usually in a larger group. </p>
<p>I would not want my daughter walking ANY campus (urban or rural) by herself after dark and most certainly not after midnight. I wonder how many crimes are committed between 11PM and 6AM against a person (male or female)walking alone? I’m willing to guess if you remove those crimes the numbers would be considerably less. IMHO…no campus (or neighborhood) is crime free…but using common sense will go a long way to reducing your chances of being a victim.</p>
<p>Yeah, great tactic. Trying to pick apart legally mandated uniformly reported crime statistics with absolutely nothing but your personal bias. How many go unreported, same as everywhere else. These aren’t my statistics. Compare it other urban schools if you want. It was your point there was such greater crime at Pitt than at other schools which is false. Oakland is a bigger area than University Park population wise, student population notwithstanding. (BTW, since you obviously didn’t look, the reports list Pitt with a FTE of 36,581 for '08) These are statistics reported by every university in America by law. They would absolutely include Oakland Avenue with is not only filled with university-owned hosing on both sides of the street, but is well within the Pitt police patrol range the whole way down to Dawson St. But don’t let statistics get in the way of your obvious bias. </p>
<p>You just keep getting richer and richer with your BS. No students live near or walk around Penn Ave or Penn Circle, which is way, way out of anything considered campus. It’s a completely different part of the city and is over 2 miles from the Pete. It is way past UPMC Shadyside. Why not include Hazelwood or Homestead? Conveniently, you skipped Schenley Farms and Shadyside, two of the nicest areas in the city, and all the mansions that lie in between. You are so full of bunk and completely unaware of what you are talking about it is laughable. The Magee Hospital area is more than safe. Have you actually been in Magee? Have you walked around the streets there? Have you been in the houses or apartments next to the hospital? It’s all residential and off-campus student housing. What, are you afraid of 70 year-old Italian immigrants. You really need to stop before you make yourself look more foolish.</p>
<p>You are obviously are completely unfamiliar and inexperienced with urban life (oh I know, you’ve spent a whole year in Pittsburgh!). I can’t believe you are still trying to defend your drivel. It’s funny, because you keep revealing that you know less and less about the area and lose more and more credibility, not that you started with much, with every post.</p>
<p>You obviously have no idea what you are talking about. There is really nothing left to discuss with someone that is so obviously clueless and completely biased.</p>
<p>Of course no neighborhood/campus is crime free, we know that to be the unfortunate truth. However, we also know that in some places crime happens alot more frequently than in others.</p>
<p>I’ve been to campuses were it felt completely safe to be alone at night (even for a female), but not ones in urban settings.</p>
<p>It’s just one more aspect you as a student/parent need to consider when making your decision. We live in a pretty wacky world, lots of wierdos out there and you can find alot of them in Oakland or the surrounding areas.</p>
<p>I’m not sure why some posters want to crucify for raising safety concerns. It’s not like I’m condeming the school in it’s entirety, just one aspect. I’ve said several times that it’s a good school that will provide its student a good education, but because spoke up about the safety issue I get called a “■■■■■” and a liar - suspicious behavior.</p>
<p>As I said, wife went there, lots of friends went/go there, we’re season ticket holders from basketball and football, I’ve lived in Oakland, and have even helped out with a class for a adjunct friend of mine. I have no axe to grind with Pitt, just pointing out an issue.</p>
<p>If all the students were responsible people who made good choices about their safety, most of the problems would be eliminated. However, we know that isn’t the case. We are dealing with young adult (some may say children) who are away from home for the first time in their lives and are thrown into “freedom.” Mostly likely, most of the students aren’t originally from an environment like Oakland. Most come from suburban or rural areas where life is alot different. They are trusting to a fault, gulliple and are easy targets for anyone wishing to take advantage. </p>
<p>Let’s not forget most college students are night creatures and their social activities mainly take place after dark, so walking alone at night is pretty unavoidable for them. Then, there is the partying. They go out and party some and wander home, to their friends house, wherever. This is when most of the scary situations occur and while they should be smart, we can’t blame them - we need to blame the criminals, and unfortunately, there does seem to be alot of these situations happening in Oakland.</p>
<p>You’ve done nothing but regurgitate the same nonsense. Your claims are bunk, and you’ve done nothing but ignore them.</p>
<p>Can we get a mod in here? Please?</p>
<p>Well, you’re quoting statistics that you don’t know the parameters of, even still - they don’t prove anything. They certainly don’t show that Pitt is safe, your argument was that it was lower than Penn State - a school twice Pitt’s size.</p>
<p>BTW, I have been to Magee…my wife works there.</p>
<p>As far as “urban life”, I’ve lived in Chicago (Lincoln Park), Washington, D.C. (Adams Morgan), and PGH. I think I know my way around a city well enough.</p>