Safety Research Report
Eva van Hameren
School of Journalism and Communication, University of Oregon
J494: Strategic Communication Research Methods
December 7, 2022
The research presented in this study reflects the University of Oregon’s desire to understand its students’ perceptions of safety better. My J494 class worked together to gain greater insight into what safety means to students and test their awareness of safety resources. We used a series of research methods to answer our research questions. The methods involved in the study include observation, content analysis, interview/focus group, and the survey method. We decided on three research questions that reflected our client’s inquiries: How do UO students define “safety” on “campus”? How aware are UO students of UOSRS resources for students? And which communication channels do UO students perceive as most effective? Our survey was sent to 225 students at the University, and 130 people responded to the survey. The class found that students feel most unsafe at night. However, most respondents interviewed and surveyed lived off campus.
Introduction
This study was designed to help understand how University of Oregon students feel about safety on campus because UO safety requested the study as a client of our research class. The study distinguishes students’ perceptions on and off campus and highlights students’ safety concerns. The University of Oregon has over 20,000 students, and 73% live off campus. With so many students and an unsafe city, the University must take responsibility for its student’s safety. This report will begin with a literature review where I will discuss the findings of two safety-related studies conducted in University settings. The first research method we used was observation/witnessing; we chose a location on campus to sit and observe our surroundings while taking notes. Our second research method was content analysis, where we defined safety-related terms and looked for them on the University website. The third research method we used was our interview and focus group methods. Each student conducted five interviews or two focus groups, asking questions from our topic guide. Our final method was our survey which had 130 responses and 14 questions. We will then discuss the class’s research findings by analyzing our research questions according to the data. Finally, I will discuss my recommendations for the University to improve the safety perceptions of students on and off campus.
Literature Review
The study “Safety and Security on Campus: Student Perceptions and Influence on Enrollment” by Kailey Puckett provides useful insights into how college students’ decisions are influenced by campus safety. The study findings suggest that security measures like emergency boxes and safety patrols influence students when deciding what college to attend. Puckett’s research established that parents and guardians are more concerned about their daughter’s safety on college campuses than their sons (Puckett, 2022). International students were a surprising group with a heightened sense of fear on campus, partly due to the lack of adjustment resources. The study found that students associate their perceptions of fear with the physical campus environment, meaning feeling physically safe was of heightened importance. Constrained behavior was common among respondents; students engaged in behaviors to protect themselves from harm – carrying pepper spray or not walking alone. Puckett wrote five research questions to help guide the study. These questions include: “How do students perceive campus safety and security? And “how do students perceive campus public safety offices and the officers employed by them”?(Puckett, 2022) The survey method was used for the study, and the respondents in this study were all students at East Tennessee State University.
Lynda O’Malley conducted the research product, “Campus Safety: Student Perceptions and the Impact on Student Engagement.” The study was conducted at Hofstra University based in Long Island, New York. O’Malley’s study aimed to explore student perceptions about safety and analyze their knowledge of campus safety resources (O’Malley, 2019). The study also focused on awareness surrounding the “Cleary Act,” a federal law requiring universities to release an annual safety report detailing campus crime data. The Department of Education has enforced the Cleary Act since it was signed into law in 1990. Examples of crime data that may be reported include rape, assault, theft, and arson. As part of the study, a survey was done at a private university where students reported feeling safe near University buildings. Students did report taking precautionary measures to improve safety. The study affirms that women are more aware of their safety and therefore are more cautious. O’Malley’s study also analyzed the awareness students, and community members had regarding safety resources. Students involved in campus activities were well aware of the safety resources provided by the University (O’Malley, 2022).
Research Questions
RQ1: How do UO students define “safety” on “campus”?
RQ2: How aware are UO students of the University of Oregon Safety and Risk (UOSRS) resources for students?
RQ3: Which communication channels do UO students perceive as most effective?
Goals and Background
Our client, the UOSRS, was represented by Krista Dillion (Senior Director of Operations) and Molly Kennedy (Campus Relations Coordinator). They presented to our J494 research class and requested our assistance in analyzing student safety on campus. The client expressed they want more information to better support the safety of students. UOSRS consists of a series of service units, including the University of Oregon Police Department. The organization currently has many resources available to UO students, including the UO app, UO Alerts, and Duck Rides. The client hopes to understand what resources students know and how the University should communicate with students about these resources. The UO is a large public University with open access to the public, so the school must ensure proper safety measures are in place to protect students. Every year, as part of the Carey Act, the University Releases the “UO Annual Safety Report.” The 2022 report is 63 pages long and reports dozens of safety-related issues. In the “Eugene Campus Crime Statistics” (page 58), the University reports the most common offenses to include stalking, burglary, aggravated assault, and fondling. These offenses are serious and part of the reason this research is so important. Student safety is a top priority for the University, and our research findings will help the University better provide and communicate safety resources. UO will release an updated safety report next month that will provide updated details on campus safety.
Methods
Witnessing/Observation
For this research method, J494 class members were instructed to print a field notes form and choose a location on campus to observe their surroundings for 30 minutes. On the form, we noted the time, date, on-campus address, and “What I witnessed;.” We discussed our observations in class and many students mentioned students were on their phones or walking with a friend. We also read other students’ witnessing/observation reports and identified small-group patterns. My small group noted that we all reported seeing not just students on campus but also teachers and visitors, as the campus is open to the public.
Content Analysis
For this method, we created a one-page coding instrument with at least five categories that reflected what we learned about our client and safety. Then we created a coding manual defining each category, allowing the content analysis to be repeatable. Using a tally every time we saw our categories, we visited the UO website for our minor and conducted the content analysis. My minor is sports business, and I tallied a few marks on my minor’s website. The categories I chose were: security, danger, comfortability, on-campus, protection, and Title IX.
Focus Group/Interviews
We could host five in-person interviews or two focus groups for this research method. We created a topic guide as a class, and everyone asked their interviewees the same questions. We recorded our interviews and created written transcripts of the option we chose. We also created a report that outlined the patterns and themes we noted. The class also discussed what we noticed during our interviews or focus groups.
Survey
For the survey method, we created an online Qualtrics survey that every student had to send to five people. Our Professor collected the data and created frequency tables to break down the data. We analyzed the data by writing a report, and the questions were mostly multiple-choice.
Findings
By combining these four research methods, we could understand what safety means to students and how it’s related to the UO campus. Our observation and content analysis methods provided useful insights into how students and the University behave regarding safety. For my observation/witnessing assignment, I chose the corner of 13th Ave, which is on a corner of the UO campus. I observed that students were pretty unaware of their surroundings; many looked at their phones, listened to music, and had backpacks slightly open. I noticed many people crossing paths and briefly interacting. There are no gates, security, or blue lights for students who may feel unsafe. The closest help desk is in the Lillis Business Center, about 2 minutes from my location. As a class, we read each other’s reports and analyzed key themes: students are on their phones, listening to music, and often in a hurry.
For the interview method, I conducted five interviews over a week and noticed many patterns and themes in the answers I heard. I interviewed four girls, including three seniors and one sophomore, the boy I interviewed was also a senior. All these students had felt unsafe at some point at the University of Oregon. While formulating my transcripts, I realized there’s an overwhelming desire from students for the UO to step up in campus safety, lighting, and communication channels. An overarching theme was that people feel unsafe at night. The dark enhances safety concerns for students walking on and off campus. Students described campus at night as dark, scary, and unpredictable. They felt most unsafe at night as fewer people, and no security was walking around or patrolling campus. Since UO is a public university, anyone is allowed on campus, including potential threats to safety. A major contributing factor to unsafe feelings was the homeless population in Eugene.
When looking at the survey method, our definition of safety on campus will be skewed towards the perceptions of off-campus students because over 90% of our participants reported living off campus (Figure 1.5). Most participants said safety meant “not anticipating harm or hurt physically.” Most of our respondents were female and between the ages of 21 and 22 (Figures 1.1 and 1.2). Our survey shows classroom buildings and the EMU are the safest places on campus. Conversely, the areas of campus deemed most unsafe included: athletic fields, dorms (residence halls), and the knight library. More broadly, the Eugene locations where students felt most unsafe were Millrace, Barnhart, and Riley residence halls (Figures 1.6 and 1.7).
Discussion & Recommendations
There’s an evident demand for the UO to step up its safety resources and how it communicates these resources to students. Students’ main concerns include poor lighting on campus, lack of police/security presence on and off campus, and lack of awareness regarding safety resources. Our research project provides a reference for the University when formulating new or updated safety measures. According to students, the most important safety factors included more call buttons, security presence, and better lighting. Many UOSRS resources are available to students, but many don’t know about them. Research suggests the University should use text messages or social media to share updated information about safety resources.
Our study was limited to the perceptions of mostly female University of Oregon students who live off campus. Our research implies that students feel somewhat safe on campus and more unsafe off campus. The dark is a major contributing factor to safety for students, so a well-lit campus is essential.
Appendix
Figure 1.1: Gender
Figure 1.2: Age
Figure 1.3: Ethnicity
Figure 1.4: Sexual Orientation
Figure 1.5
Figure 1.6
Figure 1.7
Figure 1.8
Citations
O’Malley, L (2019). Campus Safety: Student Perceptions and The Impact on Student Engagement. Available from Social Science Premium Collection. (2461141385; ED598898). http://libproxy.uoregon.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/campus-safety-student-perceptions-impact-on/docview/2461141385/se-2
Puckett, K (2022). Safety and Security on Campus: Student Perceptions and Influence on Enrollment. Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4103. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/4103
University of Oregon. UO Annual Safety Report 2022. https://clery.uoregon.edu/sites/clery2.
uoregon.edu/files/2022-09/annual-security-report_2022.pdf
U.S. News. University of Oregon Student Life. U.S. News & World Report. https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/university-of-oregon-3223/student-life