ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, October 15, 1996 TAG: 9610150130
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NORFOLK
SOURCE: Associated Press
Mary Washington College had the highest per-capita crime rate and the most rapes of Virginia's public four-year colleges in 1995, statistics compiled by the State Police show.
Radford University ranked ninth in the state, Virginia Tech was 11th and Virginia Military Institute 13th.
The statistics also show that Old Dominion University's 25 percent increase in crime from 1994 to 1995 was the biggest in the state.
Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, with 3,700 students, had 41 reported crimes per 1,000 students last year. The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk calculated the per-capita crime rate based on 1994-95 enrollment figures.
The college also had seven reported rapes. Old Dominion University, the University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University all had more than four times as many students as Mary Washington, but reported no rapes.
``It strikes me as a little odd,'' said Donald Smith, an associate professor of sociology and criminal justice at ODU. ``If you take UVa and ODU together, that's a very large population. And they report no rapes? That's pretty unrealistic.''
The figures may mean Mary Washington students are more willing than others to report rapes, said Greg Perry, campus police chief.
``I would like to think that the victims of this heinous crime had confidence in their police department, that they knew they were going to get the help they needed, and that's why they chose to come forward,'' he said.
Kelly Regan, a senior at Mary Washington, said campus police encourage reporting of rape by letting students report anonymously when the crime happens to others.
``I think the police have a very strong presence on campus,'' she said. ``I know a lot of officers by name. Maybe it's the fact that students feel connected, and they feel more comfortable reporting something.''
William Rice, public safety director at ODU, agreed that many rapes probably go unreported.
``I'm not that naive to believe that there's no date rape going on at ODU,'' he said.
The College of William and Mary had the second-highest crime rate, at 40 per 1,000 students, while George Mason University was second in rapes with five. Christopher Newport had the lowest crime rate, just under seven per 1,000 students.
At ODU, the number of crimes increased from 317 in 1994 to 397 last year. The increase occurred almost entirely in the category of larcenies, which went from 282 to 357.
``People leave things out. They don't lock their doors, they don't lock their drawers,'' said William Rice, the university's public safety director.
Property crimes - larcenies, burglaries, arson and car thefts - far outnumber violent crimes on Virginia campuses. Mary Washington, for example, reported 143 property crimes and 11 violent crimes in 1995.
VCU reported the most property crimes, 766. William and Mary reported the most violent crimes, 23 - two rapes and 21 assaults.
CAMPUS CRIME
Crimes per 1,000 students in Virginia's public four-year colleges in 1995:
1. Mary Washington College41.32
2. College of William and Mary40.28
3. Virginia Commonwealth University35.96
4. University of Virginia35.29
5. Longwood College26.56
6. George Mason University25.76
7. Old Dominion University24.08
8. Norfolk State University23.54
9. Radford University21.42
10. James Madison University16.70
11. Virginia Tech16.25
12. Virginia State University10.48
13. Virginia Military Institute9.33
14. Clinch Valley College9.19
15. Christopher Newport University6.59
- Associated Press
LENGTH: Medium: 80 linesby CNB