U. Hartford is refuting a report released this week by The Daily Beast that ranks it as the fifth most dangerous school in the nation.
The report used total data from the Clery act from 2006-2008, which the University says does not reflect declining crime rates over those years.
Meagan Fazio, the University Media Relations Manager said, “The University of Hartford takes issue with the Daily Beast’s list. We believe the site’s methodology is significantly flawed and does not accurately state how safe students, faculty and staff are on the University of Hartford campus.
“The safety of our students, faculty and staff is a top priority of the University of Hartford and we strongly disagree with the Daily Beast’s website’s characterization of the learning environment here.
“First and foremost, the methodology skews the list against schools in urban areas such as Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Hartford by using statistics from a geographical area rather than just the campus and against large and mid-size universities since institutions with 6,000 students or fewer are excluded.
“Secondly, using three-year totals, the numbers include crime statistics from geographical areas where the university has not held classes or programs since 2007. Dance classes were formerly held at the School of Ballet site on Farmington Avenue and has since moved to the new Handel Performing Arts Center site on Westbourne Parkway.
“Also, by using three-year totals rather than comparing yearly numbers, the list does not reflect reductions that the university has achieved in the categories listed.
“Another example of the flaws in the Daily Beast’s methodology is that how it defines burglaries as a category does not reflect changes in the definition under the Clery Act, which no longer lumps together unlawful entries into a room or building with reports of lost or stolen items as part of a single category.”
Director of Public Safety John Schmaltz said that reports like the Daily Beast’s just “stir the pot” but are not valid representations of the university’s safety.
Clark Merrefield, a representative for the Daily Beast, said in an e-mail, “Trends from 2006-2008 were not taken into account. Just the total number of crimes that occurred during those years (the most recent for which data is available), weighted by crime severity, and accounting for enrollment.”
In compliance with federal law, the Clery Act compliance letter and statistical information is published on thePublic Safety website and will be updated in a few months for 2009, Schmaltz said.
“Again, the safety of our students, faculty and staff is a top priority of the University of Hartford and we firmly believe we do offer a safe campus on which to learn,” said Fazio.
Tufts’ Boston campus, University of Maryland Baltimore, Harvard and Rutgers also ranked high on the Daily Beast’s list of dangerous schools.