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Show u N I I T y MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1995 DI CAMPUS NEWS: SUUSA representatives lobbied for tuition controls Friday at the Legislature. PAGE3. CAMPUS ARTS: Theatre Aits fa culty member Richard Bugg knows whereof he speaks, and acts. PAGE 13. CAMPUS SPORTS: SUU's Lady 'Bird gymnasts hos t the Boise State Lady Bronco tonight in the Centrum. PAGE 15. LOCAL NEWS: cedar City' cost of living index continues to ti e, according to the monthly tudy by profe sor Alan Hamlin . PAGE 7. STATE NEWS: The closure of the Kaibab lumber miJI near Kanab has seriously damaged that area's economic picture. PAGE 11. NAT'L NEWS: SUU Security Chief fun Tomer says the "slight increase" in crime here is a natural outgrowth of more students. Sen. Phil Gramm said yesterday the donation of GOP funds to an anti-abortion group is legal. PAGE 11. SU's growth is cause of crime rise WORLD NEWS: Mexican troops p ushed deeper into rebel strongholds yesterday but encountered no opposition. PAGE 11. By JAMI JOELLE BAYLES NAT'L SPORTS: The West squad toppled the East squad in yesterday' NBA All-star game. PAGE 16. ACADEMIC FOCUS Continuing Education: Spring courses spell a wide range of choices. See insert to check them out, . and read all about it beginning on the back page. Associate Deon David yman 'Population, proximity' prompt slight increase, but campus is still called 'safe' JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT Living on a college campus in Utah is becoming a lot safer, according to reports which have noted a decrease in crimes in Utah's schools in 1993-94. However, SUU's Chief of Security Jim Turner said the crime situation here is not consistent with the state's other colleges and universities. "Actually, [crime I is increasing [at SUUI due to the population growth and proximity,'' said the six-year veteran of SUU. Theft is the most frequent crime taking place at SUU, while shoplifting and drug and alcohol possession rank second and third, respectively, Turner said. In January, Turner said there were approximately 15 arrests involving SUU students, two or three of which involved illegal possession of alcohol. As as of last week, no arrests have occurred in the month of February. One crime that bas been rather preva}.ent at SUU is stalking. According to Turner, there are abo ut four or five reported stalkings a year, including one stalking last year which ended in a conviction. "SUU ha been very successfu l [when dealing with stalkings.] We are one of the few agencies with an actual conviction la t year," Turner said. Although crime at SUU is increasing, Turner said it was still one of the safest colleges in Utah. "It's hard to compare SUU's crime rate with other schools because of several differences. 11 I One major difference, Turner said, is the amount of events taking place at SUU, including the Utah Summer Games and the Utah Shakespearean Festival. SUU is also vulnerable to crime due to the continuous high school athletic events it hosts year round, including the Feb. 3-4 2A and 3A state wrestling championships and Friday's SUU Wrestling Classic. Another major difference between SUU and other schools in the state is the fact that SUU remains open all year. "SUU is a year-round school, where as Utah State basically closes down for the summer." One final difference noted by Turner, is th.e number of campus security officers employed at SUU. Turner said Utah Valley State College currently has 20 officers, while SUU only has three. "If that were increased to six, the crime rate !at SUUI would be cut in half." According to Sgt. Dermis Anderson of the Cedar City Police, most SUU student-related calls the department receives involve underage drinking and noise complaints. Anderson estimated that 70 percent of arres ts involve out-of-state persons who have recently come to Utah. He also said more crimes are being committed by women. "One of SUU's biggest problems is it parking situation," said Anderson. As far a violent crimes are concerned, they are a rarity at SUU. Turner said only one or two rapes are reported a year and he ha never had to deal with a murder. Turner also said that a lot o( the crimes occurring on campus are not committed by SUU student . In tead, they are committed by high school and middle sch ol students. |