Understanding perceptions of campus safety and community college student development: A mixed methods case study

Campus safety is an important aspect of a student\u27s collegiate experience. Although statistics indicate campus crime has been decreasing, these statistics do not provide an understanding of a student\u27s perception of crime and how they are responding to that perception. This points to campus safety being a complex construct that transcends often cited numerical statistics and warrants a closer examination of students\u27 feelings, behaviors, and experiences that build these perceptions. This mixed methods sequential explanatory single case study sought to understand the perceptions that students have about the overall safety of their campuses and whether fear of crime and the practice of precautionary and avoidance behaviors were directly related to the degree in which they experienced their social and academic activities during their collegiate experience. This case study examined fear of crime at one particular community college with multiple campuses in New Jersey. Findings suggested that student precautionary and avoidance behaviors were not a hindrance, but in fact routinized. These behaviors bonded students, becoming a catalyst for positive interaction among them in distressing environments and, ultimately, offering students a distraction from fear. Their practice suggests a redefining of safety and an increased tolerance of anxiety and fear among students