<p>brown seems to be one of the safest with great security and the least problems lately</p>
<p>harvard just had a shooting in one of its dorms and several muggings related to a downsizing of security
princeton just had recent sexual assaults also related to a lack of security
yale, penn, and columbia routinely report muggings</p>
<p>regardless, this type of thing at any school is usually the exception more than the rule. wesleyan is widely regarded as a safe, idyllic campus but a freak incident occurred recently. staying safe is more a function of using common sense (not walking around alone at night) than anything else</p>
<p>I personally have never felt threatened or unsafe on campus. I would say that the surrounding areas are pretty safe too. There was, however, one incident where a person was attacked in the shower in one of the dorms. I don’t know if they ever found out if it was a student or an outsider. I think that that’s just one isolated event. Even after that event, they some immediate responses. My dorm, which is a good distance away from the dorm in which the attack occured, was required to have locked bathrooms so that only residents can open them with their keys (enacted by facilities, so everyone’s in the security game together).</p>
<p>In four years I have never once felt even slightly threatened and in fact, I feel extremely comforted and safe on my own campus. Very rarely do I hear about any sort of incident, and almost never anything remotely close to serious (maybe once in my whole time, and that happened to be what Sungchul is referring to, has anything happened I thought was remotely serious). Like 3-4 people a year have their wallet taken because they’re walking alone at night on an off-beaten path.</p>
<p>My D lived in the dorm where the aforementioned incident in the bathroom took place. We all were pretty shaken up about it, and I wrote to Facilities and Res Life about my parental concern. I got a very serious response immediately, which outlined the steps the school was taking as of that very day to change the locking system on the bathroom door. I felt very good about the resulting situation, and my D and her friends also felt better after the lock was changed. When we were on campus last weekend, we saw the new lock and it seems to have done the trick, as far as securing that bathroom is concerned. Things happen.</p>
<p>Another good thing-- same D will be living off campus next year, and she knows that Safe-Ride has a system whereby those living off campus can register their addresses, and the Safe-Ride bus will be able to take them home at night, until fairly late, I am assuming. That is really a good thing.</p>
<p>I agree that the campus seems to be very safe, very comfortable, as does the surrounding area. DPS is a very real presence as are the Providence police. I never have interpreted that presence to mean that there is danger, rather that they are being proactive “just in case.” After all, it is a city, and things do happen.</p>
<p>I’ve seen these threads periodically over the past six years and serious incidents seem rare. However, my son and three of his friends were held up at gunpoint on a Friday evening at 9:30 in the fall of 2005 right in front of the admissions building. The perpetrators were never caught to my knowledge. I drank a large glass of whiskey that night after receiving his phone call. :-)</p>
<p>“How dangerous is it to go out of the campus at night to join friends for social engagements?
Are students usually fearful when coming to and from campus or I’m I mistaken?”</p>
<p>I’m not sure if you mean leaving campus entirely or walking about campus at night. Socially, we don’t tend to leave campus that much, but that’s not out of fear. There’s just a lot to do on campus. So social engagements are usually on-campus. I would say that it is safer on Brown campus than off of it. But I don’t think that’s what’s driving our stay-at-Brown attitude. </p>
<p>We’re not fearful. But we do try to use normal safety measures one would expect anywhere at night—don’t travel alone on empty streets with headphones on, don’t walk alone after 3AM, etc. </p>
<p>Safe Ride runs until 3AM. When I’m hanging out with friends who live across campus from me, if it’s before 3, I take Safe Ride back. If it’s after 3, I sleep over. </p>
<p>Honestly, it’s not something that should be causing you consternation. I’m someone who ca
me from a super safe Suburb, too, so it’s not like I’m “used” to crime. But I feel just fine at Brown.</p>
<p>Brown St. and Thayer St aren’t really off-beaten paths. I can think of two muggings on Thayer St, one north a bit and one near Bowen, an incident on Bowen, two on Brown St near Cushing or Angell. I also remember when someone robbed a cashbox from faunce in broad daylight and got clotheslined by a risd student. Another robbery on Hope near the OMAC I think.</p>
<p>Point is, don’t be dumb and walk around late at night alone, watch out for sketchy people or cars. I’ve never had a problem, I don’t know if me being a cornfed looking guy helps or not but it seems like people pick on people they know won’t hurt them, so if that’s you I’d be extra cautious.</p>
<p>Security is an issue when it comes to any college campus, and most colleges will have on-campus security in addition to city police (Brown has the BROWN police (trust me, they are pretty much everywhere on campus), another private security firm working there, and the City of Providence police, from what I remember). But you’re gonna have to use common sense when you live on campus. In my point of view, Brown isn’t that bad. </p>
<p>Though my experience of foolishly wandering off campus ALONE (hint hint: never be alone!!) just to find a Whole Foods Market store in a place I was UNFAMILIAR with was plain stupid. A gang pretty much chased me back to campus … but that was my fault not Brown’s. If you want to be informed or “entertained,” feel free to search the Brown board. I’m pretty sure my story is floating around somewhere.</p>
<p>But most important lessons: (1) Never be alone. Always try to travel on campus with someone; (2) Never go out too late; (3) Never wander too far and always know where you’re going.</p>
<p>Which incident with multicolored mittens? lol there were two. This was last year where a car pulled up and robbed someone walking at night.</p>
<p>ab2013 you must be talking about the emo kids you said followed you. I don’t know if this is the case, but I’ve witnessed people, mostly sheltered people, freak in situations that don’t warrant freaking. Were they chasing you or walking behind you? Did you speed up? Did you turn down a random street only to have them follow you?</p>
<p>btw neither walks to Whole Foods are sketchy, Whole Foods only exist in the most wealthy parts of town, although parts of Doyle are less desirable.</p>
<p>It’s really not something to live in constant fear over…</p>
<p>Look, you’re going to find criminals wherever you go. </p>
<p>Security of the campus should not be one of the deciding factors of your college choice. Something strange could happen anywhere, and speaking in terms of probability, it’s extremely unlikely that any one person in particular is going to get victimized.</p>
<p>I guess the best way I can describe it is that I’ve never had to actively think about security at any moment, and I’ve never been anywhere alone at night where I couldn’t seen Brown cops or security guards (if even at a distance) or a blue light phone.</p>
<p>Honestly, they were walking, but pretty fast walking. And yes, and yes (sadly). </p>
<p>But I’ve learned my lesson to not go down a narrow and mysterious street to hide from strangers (aka alley). It must have really been good luck on my part because that narrow and mysterious street led me back to Brown. </p>
<p>It’s funny now, but it wasn’t so funny last year when it actually happened. </p>
If you want to be informed or “entertained,” feel free to search the Brown board. I’m pretty sure my story is floating around somewhere.</p>