Photo taken on July 26, 2017 shows the campus of Northwestern University in Chicago, the United States. (Xinhua/Wang Ping)
CHICAGO, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Evanston is a small city only an hour's drive north of Chicago, where Northwestern University (NU) is located. Although it was considered part of the 'Greater Chicago' area, Evanston and NU manage to remain untouched by Chicago's surging violence.
In 2016, Chicago witnessed 754 homicides and 4,338 shooting victims, most of which were reported in the city's southern and western areas, according to a research by Chicago Tribune. It was the city's most violent year since the mid-1990s. 2017 gave little hope for relief, at the year's midpoint, 323 people were killed, even more than same period of last year.
While some universities located in the southern parts of Chicago have made extra efforts in keeping their campus safe, students at NU have felt comfortable with the measures their university has in place.
Jiayan Shi, a sophomore at Northwestern University, is interviewed with Xinhua in Chicago, the United States, on July 26, 2017. (Xinhua/Wang Ping)
Jiayan Shi, a sophomore at NU, said she felt quite safe on campus. "It was mostly because the city of Evanston itself is very safe," she said. "I feel the university has abundant security personnel."
Another NU student, Hallie, also didn't worry much about campus security. "I know there has been some isolated incidents, but I feel safe when I walk around campus," Hallie told Xinhua. "There are emergency phone boxes, which I think are very helpful in campus."
Emergency phone boxes are somewhat standard at Chicago's universities. Most of them have a blue light on top and an emergency button, as well as speakers to communicate with police in emergency. Most students at NU learn about them on their first day at universities.
"I know that there are emergency boxes almost everywhere on the roads, which can make emergency call to police. Once you meet any danger, you can press the button on the box, which would then contact the university police directly and give them your location," Shi said.
Photo taken on July 26, 2017 shows the campus of Northwestern University in Chicago, the United States. (Xinhua/Wang Ping)
Though located in a safe neighbourhood, NU does not hold back on implementing necessary security measures, some of which are to ensure students could travel safely even at night.
"The University provides services for students who have to go out late," Shi said. "You can ask university police to walk with you after dark if you feel necessary." The campus, especially the dormitories, are also guarded by police and security personnel day and night, Shi told Xinhua.
NU is one of the leading universities in the U.S. It is composed of 12 schools and colleges, hosting more than 17,000 students and more than 3,400 faculty members. NU is also notoriously renowned for its low acceptance rate. In 2017 only 9 percent of the more than 37,000 undergraduate applicants were accepted.
NU is also the most important employer in Evanston, and hires more than 9,000 people in a city of less than 80,000 population. In fact Evanston itself was named after NU's founder John Evans.
According to the university, almost 10 percents of its undergraduate students and more than 21 percents of its graduate students are international students.
Due to culture differences and potential language difficulties, international students are among the most vulnerable group on campus. To better protect them, NU gives safety lectures to all international students soon after their arrival.
"We had a safety education for international students. Experts taught us international students as well as Chinese students some safety measures," Shi said.
Photo taken on July 26, 2017 shows the campus of Northwestern University in Chicago, the United States. (Xinhua/Wang Ping)
The experts would introduce the environment of the university and mark out thing to keep in mind in order to stay safe. They would also offer common safety advises like keeping awareness of surroundings while walking and when using cash.
NU also keeps updating all its members on important security issues. Hollie said she would receive email from the university on recent crimes happening near the university campus.
"It's important to know all the safety measures and installations," Shi said. "In the end, you are the one that keeps yourself safe."
