By Kristin Melody

Co-Editor in Chief
CSU San Marcos was recently recognized by Stateuniversity.com as the safest California four-year university in 2012. This is the second year in a row that CSUSM has been named the safest four-year university.
Stateuniversity.com pulled statistics from 450 of U.S. colleges and universities. The rankings took into consideration frequency of crime and severity of each crime and are given in ratio of every 1,000 students. CSUSM scored in the categories aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, robbery and vehicle theft. CSUSM did not score in arson, forcible rape or murder.
“Violent crime is on the rise; news reports of callous acts bombard the headlines every day, and while street crime is increasing, crime on college campuses is also making its way in numbers,” the Stateuniversity.com blog stated.
In 2012, the violent crime of CSUSM included 75 percent aggravated assault and 25 percent robbery, according to Stateuniversity.com statistics. The property crime reported was mostly larceny-theft.
CSUSM scored a safety score of 95.33 out of 100, a drop from the 2011 score of 95.79. In 2012, CSUSM ranked seventh place overall in California university safety, a drop from the fifth place standing in 2011.
CSUSM is also growing physically, with the Student Union and the Quad, or campus housing under construction. The campus has also seen an increase of student population.
“I think overall our school-atmosphere is laid back,” CSUSM commuter student Karla Reyes said. “I hope that those new students and those already here keep that mellow ambiance.”
The 2012 Jeanne Clery report showed that reported total crimes had decreased by 87 percent from 2009 to 2011. Yet, CSUSM has seen a growth in total student population from approximately 9,700 to 10,200 during that time.