Exciting news for Michigan Tech: In 2023, College Magazine placed Michigan Technological University as the safest campus in America in their “Top 10 Safest College Campuses” article. College Magazine is a publication written by college students, for college students and is a known publication for their ‘Top 10’ ranking articles comparing universities in the U.S.. The article highlights and compares the campus initiatives, low campus and community crime rates, and freshman retention as factors for deciding the ranking.
Some Universities use strategies similar to MTU, such as orientation safety presentations (BYU) and blue light stations (University of Pennsylvania). Other Universities take a different approach by putting emphasis on student addiction recovery and prevention programs (University of Texas) and providing walking escorts (Lehigh University). Michigan Tech is also credited with having “a crime rate 53 percent lower than the average for college campuses” in the article, and the list of programs presented in the article include Resident Officer Program, R.A.D.(Rape Awareness Defense), National Night Out, Fire Safety Day, Safe Walk, Operation I.D., Bicycle Registration, Alcohol/Drug Awareness presentations, Lunch With The Law Program, Personalized Safety presentations, Residential Life monthly meetings, Staying Safe at Tech presentations, RA Training program, the Sexual Assault and Violence Education(SAVE), DialHelp, It’s On Us, Love is Respect, Know Your Title IX, Michgan Coalisiton to End Domestic and Sexual Violence(MCEDSV).
How many of these programs have you heard of? Do you feel safe at Michigan Tech? Do you agree with the ranking? During this first week of the ‘24-25 school year, I used these questions and sought out the opinions of my peers in an attempt to validate this ranking, and my own opinion on MTU’s safety.
In most, if not all cases, the statement of Michigan Tech being at the top of the list was met with some surprise, and not one person I interviewed had heard of all of the safety programs Michigan Tech has to offer. While this could be a testament to students not having the need to seek out these resources, it could also point to sub-par marketing, awareness, and accessibility to the information of these resources.
On the flip side, although students were surprised about being on top of the list, it was not a surprise to my interviewees that Michigan Tech made it into the ranking. As one person put it, “I think it is not so much of Michigan Tech’s initiative that makes the campus safe as it is the community culture and [remote] location.” This opinion was reflected in many of my peers’ answers, who also credited our campus’s safety to being located in a small town. This factor also aids in the promptness of campus security and police forces.
Although we are top ranked in safety, as students here we can continue to add to the culture that keeps us feeling secure in Houghton; pay attention to what is going on around you, heed safety program marketing, and check in on those close to you.
