Students say they feel secure on Northwestern’s Alva campus
By NICK DILL, Student Reporter
Safety is a major factor in college campuses and in college towns.
Safewise, a home security company, compiled a list of the 50 safest colleges in America in 2020. The company studies national crime and safety trends and analyzed thousands of colleges from across the nation.
Northwestern Oklahoma State University is not listed as one of the top 50 safest colleges in America, but that doesn’t mean the university is unsafe.
Northwestern students say they believe the university is a safe place.
Do students at Northwestern feel safe on campus and in the town of Alva?
Kenny Miller, a senior student at Northwestern, said he believes Northwestern is a safe campus.
“I have been here over three years and have yet to run into a safety issue,” Miller said. “It is a friendly university as far as social security goes.”
Miller said he believes Alva is a safe town. It’s a rural area, and there is not much that could go wrong, he said.
Stephen McCluskey, a senior at Northwestern, said he believes the campus is always safe, especially at night.
“We have many bright lights on around campus making me feel safe,” McCluskey said. “The campus police always drive around campus. It’s great whenever you see a campus police officer because they will come up and ask how you’re doing, and make sure you get wherever you need to safely.”
Kaitlyn Phillips, a senior at Northwestern, said she believes Northwestern is a safe campus.
She said university officials go above and beyond for the students, and that they care about each and every student.
“I truly believe they want what is best for every student on this campus, and are willing to do whatever it takes to make each student feel safe,” Phillips said.
Phillips said Alva is a safe town because it is a small town where it is easy to get from one place to another. She said the community members play a big part in making everyone feel safe.
Every year, Northwestern Oklahoma State University releases the Campus Security and Fire Safety Report for the calendar year.
The campus police department compiles crime data and reviews its university safety policies in the report.
The university works with local law enforcement agencies to collect appropriate criminal statistical data for the report.
The annual report has not yet been released this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The deadline for the report is now Dec. 31, a university official said.