Yale University: just when you thought it was safe

Yale University ranks among one of the few Ivy League universities that a few decades ago applicants decided might to forego because they did not want to attend an a beautiful, historic school surrounded by walls that act as protection against the outside world. After all, a college campus should be resemble a fortress. The Yale Daily News reports that "in the early 1990s, violent crime was at the center of New Haven’s reputation: the city was rife with drug-related crimes and saw three times as many shootings per year as there are today." The New York Times ran articles with the titles “Armed Youths Turn New Haven Into a Battleground” in 1991 and “Drug Gangs Thrive as Arsenals Expand” in 1992.

Many student of that generation chose to submit applications elsewhere, hoping to receive a top notch education absent any fear of violence. But Yale turned around their reputation. They significantly reduced the crime even between 2009 and 2011. The Yale Office of Public Safety published the following statistics in their Annual Safety Report on Campus Crime and Fire Incidents shown above.

Although Yale hoped that the days of fear and violence were relics of the past, students were siege as the entire campus went on lockdown based on a tip from an anonymous caller who informed police that his roommate was en route to the campus and armed, intending to use his weapon. After the realities of Columbine, Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook Elementary, these kinds of warnings do not go unheeded.

Reminiscent of the past, a SWAT team descended on the campus, but as of now have not taken anyone into custody for any crime - whether planned or facilitated. The world will wait and see how the Ivy League institution handles this unforeseen and regrettable tragedy that once again puts a blemish in their reputation.

Makes a person wonder what all those students who applied to Yale under the single early action program are thinking about right now.