Reader’s Digest assigns College Top Grade in New Survey
HARTFORD, Conn. – Trinity College is one of 45 institutions of higher learning to be awarded an “A” grade in the Reader’s Digest new ranking of campus safety preparedness. The grades were determined on the basis of a survey voluntarily completed by 135 colleges and universities.
An article, titled “Safe at School?” and the corresponding rankings, will appear in the March issue of Reader’s Digest, which will go on sale February 19. Copies of the materials were made available to schools in advance of the magazine’s distribution.
Of the 291 institutions surveyed, 135 responded. Forty-five received a grade of “A,” with Trinity claiming the 23rd spot. Forty-five schools were awarded “Bs” and an equal number received “Cs.”
“The report,” according to Reader’s Digest, “examines the numerous safety threats faced by college students today and describes some of the best safety practices employed by certain schools.” The survey takes into account several variables, including size and location. The article goes on to say that it’s surprising that some urban schools rated higher on campus safety than those in suburban areas or smaller cities.
“Preparedness has more to do with appropriate allocation of resources and less to do with geographical setting,” concluded the article, which was written almost a year after the mass shootings at Virginia Tech University.
At No. 23, Trinity finished ahead of many of its fellow liberal arts colleges, despite its location in Hartford, where crime is one of the challenges faced by the city.
Trinity was awarded the top grade, in part, because of such security measures as:
• 100 percent of the students who live on campus live in dorms that have rooms with self-locking doors.
• All of the dorms have smoke detectors on each floor and sprinkler systems.
• The College has a staff of 39 campus safety professionals. The officers are “on call” 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Cameras monitor several of the parking lots.
• Patrons must show an ID to enter the library.
• 90 percent of the campus is protected by blue light phones, which allow students to call campus security.
• The College’s freshman orientation program covers such topics as binge drinking, drug use and rape.
• Trinity has an emergency response plan and a mass emergency notification system that will inform students, faculty, staff and parents in the event of an emergency.
• 100 percent of the students living in dorms have peepholes so they can see into the hallways.