Campus ranks high for safety, but not city as a whole

By Janet Dake —

According to a report by College Choice, a resource for prospective college students, U of L ranks #20 on safest colleges in the country. But being a small fish in a big pond of Louisville, the rating may not mean much.

Broken down, the report gives the school a “100 percent” on both women’s safety and anti-discrimination. According to the site, U of L has had “zero reports of violence against women or minorities in the last three years, low nonviolent crime rates and few instances of fire.”

These statistics are boasted on the school’s website, an enticing factor for both prospective students and their parents.

Louisville’s crime rates are sky high according to Neighborhoodscout, an online resource that analyzes the standard of living in different cities. The city’s crime rate is 51 per 1,000 residents.

Ratings fluctuate depending on the area, Green Springs, Hills and Dales were ranked safest, Beckley and Avoca were ranked least safe.

Louisville rated six out of 100. Explained by the site, that means that U of L is safer than exactly six percent of cities around the U.S.

Murders in Louisville for 2017 are on track to exceed 2016’s record 118, calling U of L’s safety ranking into question.

Sophomore Zach Bingaman, a Nursing major at U of L, is living off campus for the first time this year.

“I feel immediately less safe as soon as I step out of campus boundaries,” he said.