<p>Your the one that is name-calling, so I’m not sure what you are complaining about. If you have such an issue with people disagreeing with you, then you should stay off message boards.</p>
<p>I have no problem with someone disagreeing with me. </p>
<p>What I do have a problem with is false information being spread about a school and area. No one asked you your opinion about Oakland, and even if they did, a paragraph or two is sufficient.</p>
<p>As I previously stated, I am on the middle in this. </p>
<p>However, I would like to suggest that walking home at night is not always avoidable within reason. I am a 180 lb guy so luckily I can worry at little less and mostly only have to worry about being robbed (luckily everything i carry around is worthless junk). </p>
<p>For instance, when I saw the drug deal on the corner of Forbes and Oakland I was walking to walk a friend home from church who did not feel safe walking at 3 am. It was easter and her church has masses on easter that go that late. So going out wasn’t that easily avoidable or, at the very least, wasn’t superfluous. </p>
<p>Many of us have loud roommates who do not respect our studying or who like to sleep early. The dorms can be lousy. Therefore studying at hillman is more productive. It closes at 2 am. I have always felt safe coming home at that time, but I am a guy. </p>
<p>Anyways, you can always avoid being drunk, but a lot of people don’t. Walking home at 3 AM drunk is definitely even more dangerous.</p>
<p>Mostly bad things don’t happen. Occasionally they do. Thats life. There are safer campuses than Pitt. There are less safe campuses. The area is actually fairly safe for an urban area. Compare it to say the University of Chicago campus and the area is safer. However, Pitt doesn’t have clearly defined boundaries of campus. Therefore, students need to leave more often. That makes is somewhat less safe. </p>
<p>The reality is complicated but overall the situation on Pitt’s campus is fine. But it is something to be mindful of.</p>
<p>Here is some statistical information from the Department of Education</p>
<p>[Campus</a> Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool Website](<a href=“http://www.ope.ed.gov/security/InstDetails.aspx?706172656e7469643d32313532393326756e697469643d323135323933303126796561723d32303038267264743d352f31362f3230313020373a33383a313120504d]Campus”>http://www.ope.ed.gov/security/InstDetails.aspx?706172656e7469643d32313532393326756e697469643d323135323933303126796561723d32303038267264743d352f31362f3230313020373a33383a313120504d)</p>
<p>Use this link to look up schools individually, I tried to link Pitts stats but it just brings you to the main page. Use the link on the right side to search by individual school.</p>
<p>Most schools have local statistics provided, others don’t.</p>
<p>
I had to chuckle a little. When we were looking at colleges, my daughter felt much safer in urban schools where there were people around her. She feels uncomfortable in rural schools - says the surrounding areas look like places where she could be raped and nobody would hear her scream, and later be found buried in a shallow grave in the woods. To each his own, I guess!</p>
<p>The problem is your quotes that Oakland has “a very high rate of robbers” and has “lot of vandalism, lots of home break-in, lots of muggings” and somehow it blends into the Hill District or Penn Ave. All of that is patently false. You’ve been called out with the only statistics available and the fact you don’t even seem to grasp the layout of the city and you have provided nothing in return other than more bs. BTW, the Dep of Edu data comes from the Clery UCRs provided in the previous links.</p>
<p>And how long did you live in Adams Morgan and Lincoln Park? Seeing that you have no clue about your way around Pittsburgh, are you equally uninformed about DC and Chicago? Three month internships don’t count as living somewhere. I totally see you as someone that crosses the street every time you see someone that doesn’t look like you. Your credibility=zero.</p>
<p>The reason I meantioned The Hill and Penn Ave is because Oakland is surrounded by some pretty rough areas, “bad guys” aren’t confined to certain pockets.</p>
<p>As far as me “walking across the street anytime I see someone who doesn’t look like me”, I highly doubt I would have been able to be an investigator, interrogated criminals, doing surveillance, and conducting neighborhood/witness interviews if that was the case.</p>
<p>Not that it’s any of your business, but I lived in D.C. for two years and Chicago for three years, but again, that’s none of your business.</p>
<p>I can’t see how I was “called out” on statistics makes zero sense. All you did was provide the crime data, how is that “calling me out?” If you use the link I provided and search through the schools in Western PA, you’ll see that Pitt is just about at the top of the list for crimes, so what is it you “called me out” on?</p>
<p>I understand that most of the crime is due to a larger school and a city campus, but hey - it’s still something to consider if you’re a parent. There are a bunch of smaller liberal arts schools sprinkled throughout Western PA that are very, very safe and don’t have city crime problems or have their campus surrounded by crime infested areas.</p>
<p>BIGeastBEAST: It is comparing apples to oranges to compare Pitt to rural LACs in Western Pennsylvania (or to non-city campuses). I took a few minutes to go to the Department of Education website you cited and compared Pitt’s crime statistics to other CITY CAMPUSES in the Northeast. Pitt compares very favorably. </p>
<p>Pitt: [Campus</a> Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool Website](<a href=“http://www.ope.ed.gov/security/InstDetails.aspx?706172656e7469643d32313532393326756e697469643d323135323933303126796561723d32303038267264743d352f31372f3230313020383a30353a313720414d]Campus”>http://www.ope.ed.gov/security/InstDetails.aspx?706172656e7469643d32313532393326756e697469643d323135323933303126796561723d32303038267264743d352f31372f3230313020383a30353a313720414d)</p>
<p>Temple: [Campus</a> Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool Website](<a href=“http://www.ope.ed.gov/security/InstDetails.aspx?706172656e7469643d32313633333926756e697469643d323136333339303126796561723d32303038267264743d352f31372f3230313020383a30373a313320414d]Campus”>http://www.ope.ed.gov/security/InstDetails.aspx?706172656e7469643d32313633333926756e697469643d323136333339303126796561723d32303038267264743d352f31372f3230313020383a30373a313320414d)</p>
<p>Boston U: [Campus</a> Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool Website](<a href=“http://www.ope.ed.gov/security/InstDetails.aspx?706172656e7469643d31363439383826756e697469643d313634393838303126796561723d32303038267264743d352f31372f3230313020383a31323a353220414d]Campus”>http://www.ope.ed.gov/security/InstDetails.aspx?706172656e7469643d31363439383826756e697469643d313634393838303126796561723d32303038267264743d352f31372f3230313020383a31323a353220414d)</p>
<p>George Washington: [Campus</a> Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool Website](<a href=“http://www.ope.ed.gov/security/InstDetails.aspx?706172656e7469643d31333134363926756e697469643d313331343639303126796561723d32303038267264743d352f31372f3230313020383a31353a343320414d]Campus”>http://www.ope.ed.gov/security/InstDetails.aspx?706172656e7469643d31333134363926756e697469643d313331343639303126796561723d32303038267264743d352f31372f3230313020383a31353a343320414d)</p>
<p>NYU: [Campus</a> Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool Website](<a href=“http://www.ope.ed.gov/security/InstDetails.aspx?706172656e7469643d31393339303026756e697469643d313933393030303126796561723d32303038267264743d352f31372f3230313020383a31343a313520414d]Campus”>http://www.ope.ed.gov/security/InstDetails.aspx?706172656e7469643d31393339303026756e697469643d313933393030303126796561723d32303038267264743d352f31372f3230313020383a31343a313520414d)</p>
<p>I added DePaul - Lincoln Park campus: [Campus</a> Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool Website](<a href=“http://www.ope.ed.gov/security/InstDetails.aspx?706172656e7469643d31343437343026756e697469643d313434373430303126796561723d32303038267264743d352f31372f3230313020383a35353a343820414d]Campus”>http://www.ope.ed.gov/security/InstDetails.aspx?706172656e7469643d31343437343026756e697469643d313434373430303126796561723d32303038267264743d352f31372f3230313020383a35353a343820414d)</p>
<p>DePaul seems to have worse off campus statistics (in upscale Lincoln Park) than Pitt.</p>
<p>Well, if a parent is concerned about safety, then it’s probably best that they don’t send their kids to any of those schools either.</p>
<p>Hey - I never made the argument that Pitt was the most dangerous campus in America, nor did I say that their crime rate would be any higher than other urban campuses.</p>
<p>All I said, was that if you are a parent/future student and safety is a concern, you may want to take the time and evaluate your options.</p>
<p>Comparatively to other schools in Western PA, Pitt does have much higher crime and it is geographically located to some pretty rough areas.</p>
<p>I understand that the higher crime is mostly contributed to the city-campus, but hey - do the reasons matter? Regardless of the outside influences, it’s still a more unsafe school. If a student or parent understand the environment and feel OK with it, great! I’m not trying to drive anyone away from the school, just trying to make people aware. </p>
<p>If you hear some people describe Pitts campus, you’d think they were talking about a completely different setting. Friendly, beautiful neighborhoods, low crime, walkable streets, nice housing, ect. In reality, that’s not an accurate description in my opinion. It’s a good school located in a not-so-good area for young adults.</p>
<p>I’m fully aware of the reason behind some of the safety issues, I’m just saying for many parents that may not be a justifying excuse. They may wish to send their child to a school that is in a much safer area, that isn’t susceptible to some pretty negative street elements, and believe it or not, those kinds of schools exist. Western PA is littered with very safe campuses, whether they are your cup of tea is your decision. But for many parents, safety is the number one deciding factor when selecting a university, and personally, I don’t think some of the realities of Pitt are responsibly shared.</p>
<p>There is this fairytale that Oakland is the same neighborhood it was during the 50’s - 60’s, it’s not. It’s a whole new culture now, it’s fine for some, which is great and I have nothing but good things to say about the education you can recieve at Pitt. </p>
<p>I just won’t whistle pass the graveyard.</p>
<p>The point though is if you’re looking for a city campus (and a lot of students want to go to college in a vibrant city rather than in the middle of nowhere like State College, PA or Meadville, PA), Pittsburgh is a safer city than most and Pitt’s campus is relatively safe compared to its peer schools.</p>
<p>I see that the links no longer work. The data can be accessed by searching from any link.</p>
<p>I had the same problem, it just takes you back to the main page.</p>
<p>I also understand your point about some students wanting to attend (for various personal reasons) an ubran campu, however I don’t consider Pittsburgh to fall under the category of a “vibrant” city.</p>
<p>…and you show your bias yet again. Pittsburgh is pretty vibrant for its size and has been consistently ranked as one of the best places to live.</p>
<p>Go back to WVU, ■■■■■.</p>
<p>Ok,</p>
<p>I too think Pittsburgh is doing well and is on a path to becoming a vibrant city. Sure it is facing many of the problems of northern cities BUT it has a strong economy based on education and healthcare and it is only going to get better as those become more central to an evolving national economy.</p>
<p>However, as much as I too dislike WVU, i really don’t think there is enough evidence to say that any of BIGeastBEAST’s comments were made in bad faith. Perhaps they were. But accusations of bigotry and being a ■■■■■ seem a bit unfounded. Lets all try to assume good faith and realize that there is room for significant disagreement on the safety situation in oakland. Relative to some places its very safe, relative to others its dangerous. </p>
<p>So could we all just assume good faith and stop finger pointing?</p>
<p>Or better yet could we just let this thread go?</p>
<p>So basically BigEastBeast’s argument is, don’t send your kid to a school in a city but instead a liberal arts college because of safety concerns (IMO, overexaggerated). Of course he’s entitled to his opinion, but it was unfair to specifically target Pitt in the first place.</p>
<p>You know, the only people who have made the WVU V. Pitt rivalry an issue is - pandem & wgmcp. I’ve never even mentioned WVU in this entire thread, however the two mentioned posters have repeatdely, so how am I to blame?</p>
<p>Yeah, I went to WVU, but WVU has nothing to do with this discussion - which is why I never brought it up. If anyone is bias, it would seem to be pandem & wgmcp, because during this whole conversation I’ve refrained from a WVU V. Pitt comparision, yet they seem locked on the issue.</p>
<p>Personally, I don’t consider Pittsburgh to be a vibrant city. Either economically or socially. It has an ever decreasing tax base, an aging infrastructure with limited funds, and an independence on dated industries in old line-manufactoring…I guess that makes me a ■■■■■.</p>
<p>Pittsburgh must have something going for it. In the past week or so, it was named the most livable city in the US by Forbes Magazine:</p>
<p>[America’s</a> Most Livable Cities - Forbes.com](<a href=“http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/29/cities-livable-pittsburgh-lifestyle-real-estate-top-ten-jobs-crime-income.html]America’s”>America's Most Livable Cities)</p>
<p>Last year, it was named the most livable city in the U.S. by the Economist.</p>
<p>During the G20 Summit last year, a lot was made of how Pittsburgh has remade itself. This G20 page has links to many of the articles:</p>
<p>[G20</a> Pittsburgh Summit 2009 ? Information ? Media & Press Resources](<a href=“http://www.g20pittsburghsummit.org/media-resources/pittsburgh-in-the-news/]G20”>http://www.g20pittsburghsummit.org/media-resources/pittsburgh-in-the-news/)</p>
<p>Most of the career-oriented and professional college programs tend to be at larger universities and in larger cities. If you are afraid to attend college in places like Pittsburgh, you will also be afraid to live and work in such cities later on. That sort of limits one’s options. I feel that if your student is interested in a field that requires attending an urban college, parents should provide caution tips and safety education, but try not to burden your kids with thoughts of excessive danger.</p>
<p>So you’re saying smaller/medium sized schools aren’t “career oriented?”</p>
<p>Well, at first everyone said, “Pitt is completely safe”, now people are saying, yeah…it’s a bit dangerous, but that’s because it’s an urban campus.</p>
<p>You can’t have your cake and eat it too.</p>
<p>I can’t comment on all city campuses, because I haven’t seen them. I will say there are plenty of other options that exist besides an urban campus.</p>