Illinois Wesleyan UniversityHealth & Safety Summary

Written by Diego Báez

Diego Báez

Major

English Writing

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Illinois Wesleyan is situated on the border between historic neighborhoods and a prominent commercial district. This seems to scare students a lot more than it should. Most students overestimate the rate of crime in the area, let alone on campus. There have been instances of theft and property damage, but these are never very extreme incidents. A few years ago, a Bloomington resident broke into the administration building with a stolen key and made off with a good number of computers and some cash. That stirred up the campus community for a while, but the local police tracked down the perp within a few weeks. The IWU security staff are also well-trained and respond to any calls within minutes because campus is so small.

Ultimately, you are responsible for your own safety. No one should walk too far off campus at night, but neither should students be afraid of exploring the town during the day. Granted, most security calls are in response to noise violations and parking issues, but Security officers do what they do well. Many students feel comfortable leaving their laptops unsupervised in the library, and incidences of rape are unheard of. For these reasons, IWU is an altogether safe campus that poses a minimal risk to students and local residents as well.