Pace’s annual Security and Fire Safety Report boasts about the safety precautions on the Pleasantville campus. It rationalizes that although all three entrances are open and unguarded during business hours, entrance three is secure after hours.

This security measure only guarantees the safety of one of three entrances. After-hour visitors who use entrance three must provide their identification cards and leave it at the security booth before entering campus.

“The inconsistencies in security only make their procedures more aggravating,” junior Dev Stafford said. “The gate only prevents people from driving onto campus, as it is extremely easy for anyone to walk onto campus through gates one and two without any detection.”

The last Security and Fire Safety Report was published in 2018 with information from the 2017 academic year. The report includes a compiled chart of on campus crimes from 2015-2017. According to the report, there were three sex offenses (two forcible and one non-forcible), one account of dating violence, two stalking incidents, and one aggravated assault in 2017. These numbers show only the crimes that were reported.

There were 55 disciplines for drug abuse violations, which is more than 50% less than the year before. 195 disciplines were reported for liquor law violations, almost half as many as in 2016. Drug and alcohol abuse seem to be improving, along with arrests for weapons. There were no arrests for weapons on campus in 2017, however, there were two in 2016.

According to Niche, a company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that analyzes public data from places like the Department of Education, the U.S. Census, and the FBI, Pace is the 11th safest college in New York. Their website ranks 64 colleges around New York state and has Molloy College of Rockville Centre ranked first and SUNY College at Brockport in last place.

Taking safety precautions and knowing what Pace has to offer in terms of safety is vital for students. Freshmen Lanae Petrus carries pepper spray with her and is conscious of where the the blue light emergency phones are located on campus. The blue light phones immediately connect to campus security and activate the blue light to draw attention to the area.

“My biggest fear is that campus security will fail to do their job if needed,” Petrus said. “If I was put in a situation where I needed help, I would want to know that all necessary measures would be taken to ensure my safety.”

Another way to ensure safety on a college campus is to stay alert and follow Pace’s rules of conduct at all times. The rules of conduct are in place for all Pace students, whether abroad or at the home institution. However, before studying abroad, pre-departure orientation teaches safety while abroad, whereas safety on campus is not required to be taught to students. Junior Shannon Mueller studied abroad at the Sunshine Coast in the fall 2018 semester and admitted to being more aware of her surroundings while abroad.

“I was cautious about my safety in Australia because I was in a whole different country,” Mueller explained. “I was definitely more careful there than at Pace.”