Incidents like the one Friday at the Travel Inn might lead to concerns, but the Student Association has not heard comments about NIU’s safety, said Mike Theodore, SA chief of staff.

Friday, a group of men fought, leading to at least one shot and two minor injuries, at the Travel Inn, 1116 W. Lincoln Highway, about a half mile from campus. Theodore said safety at NIU was no different than at any other public school of the university’s size, and other NIU leaders said the university is relatively safe. Students also said they feel comfortable.

“I feel safe at NIU because I know there are more dangerous places in the world,” said Michael Conroy, senior visual communication major. “People get paranoid. There are dangers here, but we are in the middle of cornfields. We’re not in a city setting.”

According to NIU’s 2013-2014 annual safety and security reports, there were seven reported forcible sex offences in 2010, six in 2011 and 11 in 2012. There were 34 reports of burglary in 2012, 39 in 2011 and 12 in 2010. Finally, there were 12 reports of aggravated assault in 2012, up from six in 2011 and two in 2010.

Campus and city police are available 24/7, and the city department’s station, which will open in about a week, is located at 700 W. Lincoln Highway, across the street from the campus.

Upon request, NIU police will escort any student to his to her vehicle, and the department also offers a late-night ride service that people can use to travel safely around the campus and DeKalb.

“This is a safe campus,” said NIU Police Chief Tom Phillips.