Troy Childress
Reporter

Despite a few recent incidents, crime on Milligan College has been on the down slope over the past five years.   

According to Milligan College’s Campus Crime Statistics submitted in January, only five crimes were committed in 2004 compared to 14 in 2000. That is a decrease of 55 percent.    

The most improved statistic is the drop from 11 larceny crimes in 2000 to two in 2004. Larceny crimes include items taken from a student’s room, textbooks taken from a lobby or equipment stolen from storage buildings.

Along with the two larceny crimes there was one assault, one burglary and one alcohol violation arrest in 2004. 

While Dean of Students Mark Fox has no theories to the decline in crime, senior Kolby Clark attributes a change in the security staff as the key. “They are a lot stricter than before,” she said

Milligan College Campus Security Policies and Procedures reads, “Campus security is everyone’s responsibility, and it is necessary to maintain sound and sensible precautions.” 

“Campus security is here to uphold campus policies only,” said Fox. “They are eyes and ears only.”

Fox said that generally students will go to their resident assistant or director first if there is any incident but they “call Elizabethton Police for every incident.”

In accordance with both state and federal law, Milligan College is responsible for reporting statistics on campus crimes that are reported to local law enforcement agencies.

At the beginning of the semester senior Chad Parker had his car broken into. Parker said this crime was “more of a pain in the neck than an assault or threat.” He added that “it was unorganized and ignorantly done, and I’m surprised that my car was targeted.”  

Nothing was taken from Parker’s car. “If you are going to break in, at least steal something,” he said. 

Parker called Elizabethton Police about the incident. “It seemed Elizabethton Police took it more seriously, but they had no idea where MSA apartments were, and this was a little uncomforting,” he said. 

Milligan is an open campus, allowing anyone to drive on and enter any open building. Blowers Boulevard, the road that cuts the campus in half, is a public road on which anyone can drive through campus at anytime.   

Fox sent an e-mail on Sept. 21 about a strange man on campus asking people for money. After the e-mail was sent there was no follow up on the issue.

Fox said, “We turned this issue into Elizabethton Police, and they are still handling this situation.” Neither EPD nor campus security has seen this man on campus since the first incident, but they both are still on the lookout.

Clark said that Fox’s e-mail was a “good thing to let the whole campus know so they can be alert and help in any way.” She said she “wasn’t scared but was a little more alert than usual.”

Senior Robbie Shreffler feels the campus is safe, “but only because the area is not an unsafe place.” He feels campus security should be here “to make sure people are safe and to assure order.”

Sophomore Kim Cochran said, “I feel OK with not locking my doors here, but back home I wouldn’t leave them unlocked.”