Collegiate Times

A new Clery Act Report showed sexual assaults and motor vehicle thefts on the Virginia Tech campus doubled from the 2007-08 school year to the 2008-09 school year, while the amount of on-campus burglaries decreased by almost half and the amount of aggravated physical assaults decreased by more than half.

The report, which was released Sept. 28, assesses campus security and fire safety by providing information about policies and regulations, emergency preparedness, services and other data relevant to the 2008-09 school year. Universities receiving federal financial aid are required to complete the report each year.

Forcible sex offenses increased from four to eight in 2009. Virginia Tech Police Lt. Deborah Morgan said the numbers for sex offenses come from Cook Counseling Center and the Women’s Center. She said not all sex offenses are reported to Tech Police.

Motor vehicles thefts saw an increase, as well, from two to four in 2009. Morgan said the numbers included golf cart thefts.

“We’ve had a lot (of golf cart thefts) this year already,” Morgan said.

However, 2009 saw a dramatic decrease in burglaries, from 77 to 29. Morgan said this could be attributed to a decrease of burglaries in residence halls.

Morgan identified burglaries as a “crime of opportunity.”

“You take the opportunity away, burglaries are going to go down,” Morgan said.

Tech Police and other university groups have tried to remind people to lock their doors, Morgan said.

Swipe card access to residence halls began in 2008. Morgan believes that implementation also helped decrease in burglaries on campus.

Aggravated assaults also plummeted from 24 to 2 in 2009. Morgan said aggravated assault is often a secondary crime.

“By definition (aggravated assaults) aren’t always what you would expect,” Morgan said.

An example of a commonly reported assault is one roommate threatening another roommate with a sharp object, like scissors.

Offenses such as arson, robbery and manslaughter remained steady when compared to 2008 reports.

One murder was reported for 2009. Tech graduate student has Haiyang Zhu pleaded guilty to the Jan. 21, 2009, beheading of international student Xin Yang and is serving a life sentence. The murder, which was committed in the Au Bon Pain cafe in the Graduate Life Center, was the first on Tech’s campus since the April 16, 2007, campus shootings.

Vandalism and larceny, two crimes not listed on the Clery Act Report, are the two of the more common crimes on campus.

Morgan said Tech Police have investigated more than 300 reported larcenies or vandalism incidents this school year alone.

A version of this article appeared in the Oct 7 issue of the Collegiate Times.