USC retracts misleading crime stats

In response to an investigation by UCPD comparing crime
statistics between UCLA and USC, USC’s administration
admitted to publishing misleading crime statistics in its 2002
football media guide.

The media guide said USC had lower crime rates than UCLA.

“The numbers that were provided were not properly updated,
and they will be updated in our next issue,” said Tim
Tessalone, director of USC’s sports information.

“It was a simple mistake,” he added.

“All sections of the media guide are updated each
year,” Tessalone said, but “the department that
provided the information for that section didn’t properly
update it.”

In an earlier Daily Bruin article (Campus safety: behind the
numbers, Jan. 22), UCLA students were surprised that USC’s
media guide made such statements. Many said that UCLA was likely
safer than USC, which is surrounded by areas with high crime
levels.

But the Daily Trojan, USC’s student newspaper, ran an
article Tuesday which quoted students saying that they’d feel
safer at USC than at UCLA because of UCLA’s recently
publicized rape allegations.

In 2001, UCLA had five reported rapes compared to four at USC,
but UCLA has a far larger student population than USC.

Though football media guides are available to incoming athletic
recruits, crime statistics are almost never considered a factor
when an athlete selects a university, said Michael Sondheimer, UCLA
director of recruiting.

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