i love how people think kcumb is in a "bad part of town"
it all depends on where you're from
i'm live in detroit and during my interview there were a couple people from philly
none of us felt like it was in a bad part of town
but the people from the rural areas were extremely concerned about it
in all honesty, i think the university does all it can to make people feel safe
i doubt there is much crime around that area
Um, let's see, I've lived and worked in the "murder capital of the world," aka Baltimore city, went to college in College Park, MD, aka, PG county, where gun shots go off like fire crackers (that's honestly what I thought they were when I first went to school there) on the Chinese New Year, lived in South side Chicago, rode on ambulance calls in some rough areas in Washington, DC (Oh, yeah, nothing like someone smoking crack openly near the entrance of some shady, condemned building while you are rushing through the collapsing door trying to see what's on scene), and occasionally visited questionable areas in Los Angeles. Given all these experiences, I'd still say that the school is in a rough area.
Is it horrible beyond all recognition? No, of course not. I'd say that I've lived and worked in worse places without a hitch. However, I'm really hesitant to call it anything other than bad. You don't really know a city until you've walked around and felt it's pulse. The part of the city that KCUMB resides, while there is considerable effort on the part of the school to revitalize it, is pretty much necrotic. It had a massive MI a long time ago. There's not much going on there, but fortunately, the Plaza, Power and Light District, and River Market are near by. For my first year service project, I volunteered to clean the streets near the school and I can attest to the poor condition of the area. There are a lot of questionable elements around. It really opened my eyes and definitely qualifies as "bad part of town," if you ask me. In fact, a resident packing some heat got shot like 5 times by the police near the campus just recently. Don't know the details, but it's kinda disturbing.
Is it dangerous? Well, I think if you keep your eyes open and don't do anything stupid, like walk around in the dark by yourself, you'll be fine. I'm sad to say that there is crime around and it is palpable. Make no mistake about it. Most reported crimes involving students have been of the theft and vandalism variety, but every so often someone will get attacked, but it's pretty rare. I recall only one incident of such a crime. Mostly, it's just homeless guys trying to get a dime. And I've lived enough areas with drug deals and wannabe gangsters to know how to spot it. There's definitely some of that going on, but what inner city doesn't have this element?
As for the security guards on campus... Not very good. They will give you tickets for leaving your car there past midnight, even though you have a permit, but can't stop people's cars from being vandalized, stolen, or broken into, even when it's happening right under their nose. And they have security cameras, too.
🙄 Anyway, I'm sure they are doing their best. There's a lot of students to watch out for and they can't be everywhere. Just watch your back and exercise due caution.
All in all, I'd say it's not the worst of places, and rajaholick is right that how bad it feels depends on where you are from and what you were exposed to. Make no mistake, though, it is a rough area, and using caution and care are definitely recommended. Fortunately, though, you don't have to live in the area if you don't want to. There are plenty of areas to reside that are safer and more friendly.
