by Rebecca Walker — April 23, 2010—On the third anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre that left 32 people dead, the government has issued a report on the prevalence and growth of violent attacks on the campuses of the nations institutions of higher education.
The report, Campus Attacks: Targeted Violence Affecting Institutions Of Higher Education, evaluated attacks on college campuses from 1900-2008 and was released by the FBI, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Secret Service.
While violent attacks, specifically murder and non-negligent homicide, made up only .1 percent of the total crimes occurring on college campuses, nearly 60 percent of these crimes occurred in the last 20 years.
The report found that of the 174 murders and non-negligent manslaughters that occurred from 2005-2008, 80 occurred on campus (13 of which took place in residence halls), 82 occurred on public property immediately adjacent to campuses, and 12 occurred at non-campus facilities.
One of the most difficult challenges is that college campuses were designed to be open, welcoming spaces, notes the publication.
