An Examination of Reported Criminal Offenses and Disciplinary Actions
at North Carolina Public Institutions of Higher Education
The homicide of University of North Carolina student
Faith Hedgepeth in September 2012 again raises the
question of student safety on college campuses across
the state. It is clouded by the fact that college campuses
are composed of numerous buildings surrounded by
open spaces and many students reside off campus.
Any violent crime related to a college or university
student, whether it occurs on or off campus, raises
public awareness of college students as possible crime
victims. Those that come to attention most often are
homicides and violent assaults; however, research
in this area has been limited (Volkwein, Szelest,
& Lizotte, 1995; Drysdale, Modzeleski, & Simons,
2010). A study conducted by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, in conjunction with the Department of
Education and the U.S. Secret Service, examined a
number of cases of campus crime gleaned from the
news media from the early 1900s through 1990 and
from mandatory reports from 1990 forward. The
majority of incidents reported occurred in the 1990s
and 2000s. The increase in incidents reported in this
time frame may be attributed to increased enrollment,
mandatory reporting requirements and the increase
in media coverage and digital reporting over the past
two decades. While the goal of the research was to
determine which factors were common to reported
incidents and how those commonalities could be used
to prevent future incidents, it also produced information
on campus-related crimes. It indicated that 20 percent
of offenses actually occur off campus, 36 percent
happen in campus offices or classroom buildings, 28
percent took place in residential buildings on campus
and 27 percent happened on campus grounds or parking
lots (Drysdale, Modzeleski, & Simons, 2010).
Incidents such as the one that occurred at Virginia Tech
in 2007, where five faculty members and 27 students
were killed, are the exception rather than the nde. In
North Carolina, the most notable crimes, including
the homicides of Eve Carson, Abhijit Mahato, Denita
Monique Smith, Irina Yarmolenko and now. Faith
Hedgepeth, occurred off campus. A study conducted
by Volkwein, Szelest and Lizotte (1995) suggests that
crime rates reported by institutions of higher education
nationwide overestimate crimes directed against
students on campus, while disregarding student victims
of crime off campus. Evidence shows that, overall, the
crime rate on college campuses is low in comparison
to that of local communities (Cornell, 2010).
Introduction
The Clery Act, a federal statute signed in 1990,
requires all colleges and universities that participate
in federal financial aid programs to keep and disclose
certain timely and annual information about campus
crime and security policies. The U.S. Department of
Education enforces the Act and is the agency that
handles complaints of alleged violations.
Schools are required to publish an annual report each
year by October 1 . The report contains three consecutive
years of campus crime statistics and certain security
policy statements, the law enforcement authority of
campus police, and where students should go to report
crimes. The report is to be made available to all current
students and employees.
Crimes are reported in two categories, either violent or
property offenses. Violent offenses include homicide —
comprised of murder and manslaughter, sex offenses
including forcible and non-forcible sex offenses,
robbery and aggravated assault. Property offenses
include burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson. In
addition, schools are required to report liquor law
North Carolina Department of Public Safety
