c/o Aiden Malanaphy

In an all-campus email sent Saturday, Sept. 28, Director of Public Safety (PSafe) Scott Rohde released the 2023 Annual Security Report and the Annual Fire Safety Reports. The reports outline various University policies, safety guidance, and statistics, including those for the 2023 calendar year.

The reports are mandated by the federal government under the 1990 Clery Act. 

“One portion of the requirement is to report all serious crimes and certain other violations to the Department of Education each fall,” Rohde said. “The second part of the requirement is to provide the campus an annual security report that not only includes the statistical data that is sent to the Department of Education but also includes information on policies, procedures, available resources, and safety tips.”

The Security Report was compiled by PSafe this past month using information from the Office of Student Affairs, Office of Residential Life, and local law enforcement, in addition to internal PSafe data.

“Each September, we print the data and cross-reference the case number so we do not double report incidents,” Rohde said. “We also draw data from other offices, because some incidents are reported directly to them, and they may not contact Public Safety, so we do our best to capture reports that are filed with other offices.”

Most of the crimes categorized in the report are serious crimes as decided by the United States Department of Education. The University’s report also includes alcohol, drug, and weapons violations, as PSafe determines them to be affecting campus safety. 

In the calendar year 2023, there were no reported murders, manslaughters, robberies, arson incidents, stalking, or aggravated assault cases at or related to the University. Generally, reported crimes have fallen slightly over the past two years.

“Because most of the criminal activity on or near the Wesleyan campus is not severe, those numbers are historically low,” Rohde said. 

The Fire Safety Report is organized by Campus Fire Safety and includes fire policies and procedures, information on fire systems, and statistics beginning in 2007.  

“I write the report every year and send it to Public Safety for them to publish to the campus,” Manager of Fire Safety Chris Cruz wrote in an email to The Argus. 

According to the Fire Safety Report, two fire incidents occurred in the 2023 calendar year; neither caused any deaths, injuries, or property damage to residence buildings. This was a decrease from three reported incidents the year before, which also caused no deaths or injuries but led to a combined $1,400 in property damages as evaluated by Fire Safety. It was also the lowest number of incidents since calendar year 2008, which was the last year until 2023 that there was no property damage. There have been no recorded fire-related injuries or deaths in University residences since public fire data disclosure became required under federal law in 2008. 

Although crime and fire rates have been relatively low, Rohde emphasized that students should remain conscious of keeping themselves safe. 

“I always reinforce the notion that everyone is responsible for their own health and safety at Wesleyan,” Rohde said. “Making good choices by securing property, eliminating dangerous situations, and communicating promptly suspicious activity and areas that may need repairs or attention goes a long way to keep the campus safe.” 

Spencer Landers can be reached at sklanders@wesleyan.edu

Caleb Henning contributed reporting and can be reached at chenning@wesleyan.edu