Harvard is a Dangerous Place

We always hear jokes about New Haven being way more dangerous than Cambridge, but according to The Daily Beast, it looks like Harvard has trumped Yale once again.

The same day that Harvard was pinpointed by a private security firm for an increase in crime on campus, The Daily Beast ranked us third in its list of the 50 most dangerous colleges in the U.S. (Yale was ranked an inexplicable 26th.)

In comparing 458 schools across the nation, The Daily Beast used data from 2006 through 2008 compiled by the United States Department of Education, the FBI, and the Secret Service. Nine different types of criminal incidents, ranging from burglary to murder, were weighted according to their varying levels of violence. While car theft was not as much of an issue here, Harvard racked up points in burglaries and assaults, placing fourth and third, respectively.

According to The Daily Beast, our shining statistics for the last three years include one incident of arson, 157 car thefts, 909 burglaries, 170 aggravated assaults, 151 robberies, 128 forcible rapes, and one murder. We scored zeroes in both negligent homicides and non-forcible rapes.

Feeling wary about your next stroll to the Quad? Just thinkabout the friendly faces of HUPD—and remember that at Tufts (ranked first) and the University of Maryland—Baltimore (second), students are holding their bags even more closely.

Photo by Sara Joe Wolansky/The Harvard Crimson.