PSU Harrisburg: Safe in the Suburbs

Believe it or not, a small, suburban commonwealth campus is a safe place! StateUniversity.com just rated Penn State Harrisburg the safest university in Pennsylvania (and the 31st safest in the nation).

The “graders” compiled campus data on aggravated assault, arson, burglary, forcible rape, larceny, murder, robbery, and vehicle theft. These data were weighted to produce crime rates per 1,000 students. The winner? Our beloved Capital College, finishing with a safety rating of 97.7.

That’s fine and dandy, but that 97.7 seems like an arbitrary number. The “campus crime” ratings don’t even include crime in surrounding neighborhoods! And come on, Penn State Harrisburg has less than 2,000 undergrads. How can you compare that to goliaths like University Park?

Well, I personally don’t trust StateUniversity.com. Data collection aside, their website appears ad-laden and tacky. When your appearance is lackluster, your credibility will suffer (Editor’s note: that’s why we removed the dozens of .gif images, MIDI music in the background, and flame decals from Onward State). For some superior rankings (and appealing Flash animation), check out The Daily Beast’s Top 25 Safest  Colleges. Although our Harrisburg campus is sadly absent, the rankings are much more legitimate.