With the number of break-ins, burglaries and aggravated assault incidents going up each year since 2008, students want to know they are safe.

Whether their dorms are three years old or 30, in their home away from home students want to know that they are secure in their on-campus housing.

Some older on-campus housing lacks the same sophisticated security systems as their newer counterparts.

Students in older dorms, like Masur and Madison, feel more at risk because they do not even implement a security system other than manually locking your door.

Compare that to Commons I, Commons II and the apartments, which all have I.D. programmed entry.

“I feel safer in the apartments than I did in Madison, said Armand Wilson, a junior vocal music education major.

The dorms are so old that providing better security may be impossible because of the remodeling that might be needed.

But, living in more expensive housing does not guarantee safety either. Despite the more contemporary design of the on-campus apartments, they also have lapses in security.

Several entrances at the apartments are easily entered without a key due to ignored and much needed repairs.

“We pay all this money to live well and strangers can just walk into our living space,” said Romaniski Dillon, a junior health studies major.

Commons may be the safest buildings on campus because they cannot be entered without an I.D. card, keeping many intruders out.