February 12, 2021
Oakland University is the third-safest college campus in the nation, according to a recent study by CollegeMagazine.com. The rankings are based on several factors, such as on-campus violent crime reported, on-campus housing availability, campus safety resources and total disciplinary incidents.
“The fact that Oakland has consistently been ranked as a safe campus for several years is a direct reflection of the commitment the entire OU community has toward safety on campus,” said Oakland University Police Chief Mark Gordon.
The study notes that “with just over 20,000 students enrolled and only four annual violent crimes reported by students enrolled and only four annual violent crimes reported by students — a ratio a little higher than the other podium placers — the city of Rochester only had 12 violent crime incidents in the past year. On top of that, the university only had 209 total incidents — incidents defined as actions that need disciplinary action taken by the school, rather than the law. Amazing.”
The study also highlights OU’s ongoing efforts to keep its campus community safe, including the First Aid Support Team (FAST), courses on preventing campus violence, conflict resolution training, and a crisis intervention workshop, as well as “blue light security phones and surveillance cameras lined up strategically all over the campus.”
“The police department cannot work independently to make our campus safe,” Gordon said. “It takes relationships and partnerships with the entire community to create a safe environment. We are very fortunate that we have that type of community involvement at OU.”
Weber State University and Brigham Young University were the only two schools ranked ahead of Oakland in the national survey.