NUMBERS fascinate our culture. Their quantitative nature implies truth. However, as Mark Twain noted, "there are lies, damned lies and statistics." Using numbers when reporting information can be both useful and harmful. Particularly when it comes to politics and public image, statistics have enormous potential to sway the minds of the uninformed.
There is a disturbing trend at colleges and universities across the country illustrating this fact. For the past several years, many institutions of higher learning have been caught misreporting violence statistics. By manipulating data from reported crimes, some schools have been able to project an illegitimate image of safety and security. At Mount St. Clare College in Iowa, the "unwritten policy was: no charges, no crime"("Campus Crime Underreported," USA TODAY, Oct. 4). This simple example indicates a broader problem.
These days, colleges and universities will do anything to engender a positive impression. Recently, two large state universities admitted to manipulating recruitment materials in order to project the image of a diverse student population. For quite some time, crime related statistics have been doctored at schools across the country. College and university officials can't lie, so they manipulate the facts to foster a false sense of security. These acts are wrong and must end.
Granted, it's a lucrative habit. One year of tuition from an out-of-state student at a public university or a small private college is worth quite a bit. Fortunately, the government knows how much students are truly worth and has taken steps to penalize institutions that attempt to lie to the public.
The U.S. government is now applying an amended campus crime reporting law which stipulates that colleges have until Oct. 17 to post pertinent data on the Education Department's Web site (ope.ed.gov/security), where everyone can access it. Under the revised law, the fine for falsifying crime-related information is $25,000 per misreported figure.
At a school like the University of Pennsylvania, for example, that can add up. In 1996, 18 armed robberies were reported to the federal government. Because the University of Pennsylvania excluded crimes that occurred on the city sidewalks and streets within its urban campus, that figure was grossly inaccurate. The fact was that campus police had actually worked on more than 200 reports that year. If Pennsylvania officials attempt to apply the same reporting techniques again, it will cost them about 4.5 million dollars.
This type of regulation is necessary and helpful. Public relations cannot take precedence over the truth, regardless of how unpleasant that reality may be.
The practices that some institutions have been illegally following compound the problem. When people feel secure about the environment in which they live, they will pay less attention to their personal safety. Little things - walking home alone, jogging with a walkman, or leaving the front door unlocked - add up and leave students more susceptible to crime. While using unnecessary "scare tactics" is not a desirable policy, colleges and university officials must inform students about crime in a realistic and honest manner.
Being uncomfortable with the truth should indicate to these institutions that more effort must be made to prevent crime on campus. Sure, everyone wants to see better numbers, but if they simply don't exist, school officials must act responsibly and do something pragmatic to address the problem. Merely adjusting figures and changing numbers hurts everyone. If a school can't print crime-related statistics that are appealing, they should write about what they are doing to reverse the trend and help students stay safe.
College-bound students and their parents are smart enough to know that unfortunate events can occur, even when officials are doing their job well. Fostering a false sense of security, though, is wrong and harmful. By publishing honest tallies of alleged homicides, rapes, assaults, arson, hate crimes, burglaries, liquor law violations and drug arrests, the public will be able to make an informed judgment about how safe a campus truly is.
In a world driven by image, it's tempting to hide unpleasant facts. Colleges and universities, however, must be held accountable for recent wrongdoings.
False advertising about any subject only serves to debase an institution's image, not enhance it. Accepting realities is the first step toward changing them. Even if the truth hurts, it is never as harmful as a lie.
(Katherine Martini's column appears Mondays in The Cavalier Daily.)
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