Over the past four years, NIU and the surrounding DeKalb community has reported six murders, over 30 aggravated assault charges and over 120 reports of burglary, according to the office of postsecondary education.

NIU also recently ranked number 10 out of the 100 most dangerous colleges by AmericanSchoolSearch.com. Clearly this is not acceptable.

As much as I hate those few dedicated melodramatic people that cry on news reports every time someone pulls a fire alarm, I definitely understand their concerns.

Well, maybe not completely, but I do have sympathy for them.

Even though we are told that college is the “real world,” everyone knows that this is not completely true. Yes, for the most part, we make our own decisions and have responsibilities of our own to take care of, but are we really integrated with society?

The majority of you reading this column are probably living in the residence halls or apartments predominantly full of students like yourself. Outside of leaving to go to classes or occasionally exploring off-campus sites, you live in a fairly guarded environment.

In fact, NIU’s campus emulates almost any gated community. As such, we should look forward to the same amount of security. Why should you expect anything less?

The problem is that students are getting used to the growing security threat in the DeKalb community instead of feeling concerned. Indifference seems to be the consensus of the campus even after two major incidents within just a year’s span.

I know what you’re thinking: “It could’ve happened anywhere,” or “It was completely random.” And you’re right, but do those statements take away from the severity of this issue?

The fact still remains that we have a problem. Like any other problem, concerns should be voiced, solutions should be formulated and actions should be taken. Desensitizing yourself by saying, “It could be worse,” doesn’t help the situation.

Ever since the shooting on Aspen Court, I have heard quite a few opinions from NIU students on their safety. While it is great to hear that they feel safe at NIU, their reasoning was shocking.

Many justified their apathy for major incidents like this because they were “used to it” before coming to NIU. I would imagine that these people would prefer to attend a school like NIU to get away from that environment. But, I could be wrong.

Considering NIU has a huge impact on DeKalb, you should at least express concern for the sake of the DeKalb residents. The majority of the aforementioned statistics came from NIU’s campus; we owe it to the citizens that are not involved to make sure these stats don’t affect their community.

I’m not asking you to protest the university’s police department or become masked vigilantes when the streetlights go off. I am suggesting that you recognize crime for what it is: crime. If you care about it, others will as well. Instead of just accepting the situation for what it is, voice your concerns to local officials, report suspicious activities and make sure you are taking proper caution to avoid becoming a victim yourself.

So although it may not be time to hide your kids, hide your wife and hide your husband just yet, it may be time for this university to stand strong and start a zero-tolerance community crime movement.