Committee Supports National Campus Safety Awareness Month

On September 29, the House Government Reform Committee approved, by unanimous consent, a resolution (H. Res. 15) supporting the goals and ideals of Campus Safety Awareness Month. The Senate approved a similar resolution on September 14 (see The Source, 9/16/05).

Sponsored by Rep. John Duncan (R-TN), the resolution contains a number of findings, including:

• College and university campuses are subject to criminal threats both from within and outside their borders;
• Between 2000 and 2002, a total of 86 homicides, 7,648 sex offenses, 9,649 aggravated assaults, and 3,590 arsons were reported on college and university campuses;
• Between one-fifth and one-fourth of all female students become the victim of a completed or attempted rape during their college careers;
• Each year more than 70,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault;
• Security On Campus, Inc. has designated September 2005 as “National Campus Safety Awareness Month”; and
• The designation of National Campus Safety Awareness Month provides an opportunity for colleges and universities to inform students about existing campus crime trends; campus security policies; crime prevention techniques; fire safety; and alcohol and other drug education, prevention and treatment programs.