MARGARET LUTZ CHANTUNG

California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) has been recognized by StateUniversity.com as the safest four-year university in California in its Safest Schools report.

Dominik Mazur, founder of StateUniversity. com, said in a press release, “Student safety and campus crime are sometimes overlooked during the college evaluation process. We believe it is important for students to be aware of crime on campus and in the surrounding community.”

The StateUniversity.com 2011 School Safety Ratings are based on campus crime statistics as reported by 450 of the largest U.S. colleges and universities. Each institution’s safety score, which can range from 0 to 100, is calculated based on the number and type of campus crime reported during the year. As seen at http://www.stateuniversity.com/ rank_by_state/safety_score_rank/ CA.html, CSUSM tops all other California universities, ranking in fifth place when community colleges are considered, with an overall score of 95.79.

“We are proud to be the safest university in California,” commented CSUSM Chief of Police Ronald Hackenberg. “24/7 the University Police Department works with the entire campus community to keep Cal State San Marcos a safe place to work, study and visit. We ask everyone who comes onto campus to be our eyes and ears and to report suspicious activity.”

CSUSM’s 2011 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report can be viewed at http://www.csusm.edu/ police/Clery.pdf.