Crime on Northeastern University’s campus was generally lower than the police district it sits in across the past two years with one glaring exception: crimes of sexual violence.
According to 2023-2024 data from the Boston Police Department offenses in Police District D4, which includes parts of Back Bay, Fenway, South End and Roxbury, as well as the campus were mainly assault, auto theft, and robbery. According to Northeastern’s annual Safety Report, those crimes occur less frequently on campus, but there are higher rates of crimes of sexual violence.
The rate of sex offenses (rape, fondling, incest, statutory rape) last year was 0.70 per 1,000 students living on campus. That’s a decline from 0.75 cases per thousand in 2023. That’s more than double the rate in Police District 4, where it was 0.31 per 1,000, a decline from 0.41 cases per thousand in 2023.
The same situation also exists in crimes categorized under the Violence Against Women Act (sStalking, dDomestic violence, and dating violence). The rates for these crimes was 1.49 per 1,000 students living on campus in 2023, and 1.4 cases in 2024. In Area D4, the crime rates for 2023 and 2024 are 0.78 cases and 0.9 cases per thousand — again significantly lower than on campus.
This situation has raised some concerns, especially among female students about campus safety. It has also given rise to organizations like Northeastern Speakout, which provide platforms for students to share their experiences. Northeastern Speakout provides a safe and supportive space for survivors to share their stories and raise awareness around the pervasiveness of sexual violence at Northeastern University. According to NeuSpeakout, one of the students was sexually assaulted and lost consciousness while attending a Frat Party at Northeastern University. The next day, she learned that "several people at the party also thought they had been drugged, which made me suspect that I had been drugged too." Another case occurred in the dormitory. A female student who was a victim said, "After playing in the nightclub and returning to the dormitory, one of the boy entered my room, climbed onto my bed and began to rape me while I was lying down. I tried to push him away, but I was too messed up to get him away from me".
A third case involves Xinyue Ma, a graduate student of Northeastern University. She was attending a party organized by her classmateswhere she was fondled. “A boy sitting beside me kept touching my legs”.
According to Lieutenant Allison Piantedosi of the NUPD police says that they are taking steps to improve student safety. “We do self-defense classes with sexual violence, talking about situational awareness to let students know how to protect themselves.” Piantedosi explained that they also offer RedEye shuttle buses “to escort students to ensure they get closer to their houses and arrive home safely.” Yuxin Chen a student at Northeastern’s College of Professional Studies,said that since her classes end very late, she sometimes chooses to take the Redeye. “It's very convenient and safe. I don’t need to walk home anymore ”.
Overall, the comparison of campus crime rates with District D4 crime rates show that although Northeastern University is safer than the surrounding communities, sexual violence remains an issue. In response to this situation, "we have free class will teach our students know how to talk to people to deescalate the situation." "you can download the app called SafeZone App, and our officers have that at their disposal to see where things are happening, so that tailor our patrols to certain areas that are having higher likelihood of crime". said Lieutenant Allison Piantedosi of the NUPD.
