SCHUYLKILL HAVEN - Penn State Schuylkill has the second-highest number of reported on-campus crimes among all of Penn State's campuses, second only to the main campus.
According to 2010 statistics by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education, Penn State Schuylkill had 22 incidents in 2010, including 21 burglaries and one forcible sexual offense. The campus, however, is ranked 14th in campus enrollment with 1,010 students.
The University Park main campus, with an enrollment of 45,185, saw 89 on-campus offenses in 2010. There were 63 burglaries, 14 arsons, five forcible sexual offenses, three aggravated assaults, two robberies and two motor-vehicle thefts.
"Every university must keep these (statistics) and report them publicly because of the Clery Act," said Jerry Bowman, Penn State Schuylkill's human resources director.
That law applies to all postsecondary institutions that receive Title IV funding, meaning those that participate in federal student aid programs. They are required to participate in the data collection by the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Higher Education Opportunity Act.
Penn State has 25 campuses including its University Park campus, 19 satellite campuses across the state and four special mission campuses - Dickinson School of Law, Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and College of Medicine, Pennsylvania College of Technology and Penn State World Campus, also known as Penn State Online.
The Office of Postsecondary Education states that the crime statistics represent alleged criminal offenses reported to campus security authorities or local law enforcement agencies. Therefore, the data collected do not necessarily reflect prosecutions or convictions for crimes. It also states that the crime data reported by the institutions have not been verified by the U.S. Department of Education, so it cannot vouch for the accuracy of the data.
Since the offenses in these federal figures are from campus crimes, it does not reflect crimes committed off campus, such as the current investigation by Schuylkill Haven police into an incident in the borough Sunday in which a group of at least 15 people stormed into an off-campus apartment building and attacked four men, three of whom were flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest.
Bowman said by email Wednesday that the university is required by law to report the statistics, but refused to comment on the number of on-campus crimes at Penn State Schuylkill.
In regard to the incident Sunday, the campus released a statement Wednesday that reads: "Penn State Schuylkill Police are very serious about the proper reporting of crime on campus. They are committed to working with local authorities to identify and arrest the assailants in this case and to reduce the incidents of crime both on and off campus."
The campus stated that over the coming days and weeks, it will be working with local authorities and community leaders to address the root causes of the recent violence and Interim Chancellor Stephen Couch announced plans for the formation of a Campus/Community Climate Committee that will consist of campus representatives and members of the Schuylkill Haven community.
Campus crime statistics are available at ope.ed.gov/security though the OPE's Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool, which creates customized reports relating to campus crime and fire data.
