California State University - Monterey BayHealth & Safety Summary

The overall student attitude toward campus safety is fairly positive. Most students do not fear crime on campus, primarily because incidents occur infrequently. The most common criminal activity on campus usually involves some form of petty theft or vandalism. Other than those occurrences, instances of illegality at CSUMB are moderately quiet. With the school’s relatively close proximity to the crime-riddled city of Salinas, many fear that gang activity may reach campus and pose a threat to students. Currently, there have been no reports of such activity on campus, though. The safest areas on campus are definitely in the main quad, where all of the main buildings and freshman dorms are located. There aren’t any particularly unsafe campus locations, but be advised not to wander around the abandoned buildings and school outskirts at night. Any areas that appear pretty shady to wander around in probably shouldn’t be explored, especially when alone.

Most students feel relatively safe walking around the campus at night, especially with several emergency call boxes located along many walkways. The school is also working on lighting most walkways during nighttime, as less traveled areas are currently unlit past dark. The campus’ Nightwalk service makes commuting across campus at night more convenient, as shuttles can provide an easy escort to all on-campus locations. There is a pretty strong police presence at CSUMB as well, which, although comforting to some, is a big hassle for most students. Many students complain that the campus police are too overbearing and are only interested in busting people for running stop signs and attending parties. While this is partially true, the strong police presence does indeed contribute to the overall campus safety. Lastly, the Campus Health Center can be visited for any health-related issues you may have. The center provides several different services and walk-ins are allowed. Many feel that the health center is inconvenient with its location and doesn’t have the best quality services available. Regardless, the Campus Health Center serves its purpose and has been very helpful for most students.