Dan Zalewski III
Staff Writer

For the second year in a row, Millersville University has been ranked in the top 30 of the safest college campuses in the United States.

The rankings, compiled each year by Safewise Report — a site that compiles lists based on safety of cities and other locations — have Millersville ranked as the 14th safest campus in the country, up from last year’s ranking of the 22nd safest campus in the country.

A large part of Millersville’s success comes from the campus’s dedicated police force, MUPD. Their efforts, combined with external law enforcement and rescue personnel, such as the police of Millersville Borough and the Blue Rock Fire Company, located just a couple of blocks from campus, has created a environment of community-driven policing on campus.

“MU is in a great community within Lancaster County. Our students, faculty and staff care and look out for each other which helps create a safe and welcoming climate,” Chief Anders told the Millersville University blog. “Our officers focus on community policing and work to resolve small problems for our students and to be a friendly, visible face on our campus.”

The University also boasts other on campus safety programs, which include a six-week sexual violence education program, a male oriented program that looks to prevent gender violence, and a bystander intervention program that calls on such practices as community policing that makes every student an important part in ending violence on campus.

Millersville also provides educational lectures and seminars as a part of its orientation program to freshmen and new students each year along with making students aware of the red zone, a period of time from the start of the fall semester until the fall break when the chances of a sexual assault occurring are at their highest.

Chief Anders and the rest of the Millersville University police force also view opportunities to speak openly to students as a positive way to keep the ideas of safety and security on campus ever present on campus. Most recently, Chief Anders participated in a discussion sponsored by the Walker Center debating the merits of certain safety and security in different scenarios. Some of his officers were also in attendance, providing their insight on topics from gun policies to fear and its involvement with the first amendment.