On Oct. 1, the 2017 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report for NYU Abu Dhabi was released along with its NYU New York and NYU Shanghai equivalents. The report, which is released by the Office of Public Safety, presents crime and fire statistics from 2014, 2015 and 2016.

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act requires all colleges and universities in the United States to publish and distribute an annual fire and safety report as well as campus crime and fire statistics.

The report shows that in 2016 there was an increase in reported sexual assault crimes compared to earlier years. In 2015, the first incident of rape at NYUAD was reported in the 2016 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. As can be seen in the 2013-2014 Campus Security Report, no cases of sexual offenses were reported prior to 2015. In the new report, an incident of rape and an incident of fondling were reported in 2016.

According to the report, the statistics include all alleged incidents that occurred both on campus and on surrounding sidewalks and streets, which are considered public property.

The report listed two cases of burglary in 2016, which is an increase from 2014 and 2015, each of which saw a single burglary incident. However, this is small when compared to the seven non-campus residence hall burglary cases in 2011. It is worth noting that the non-campus residence halls were in Sama Tower, to which non-NYUAD students had access.

In 2016 there were five reported alcohol-related incidents that were referred for disciplinary action. This is a decrease from 2015 in which there were seven incidents. Kate Chandler, Director of Public Affairs and Communication, clarified which cases fall under this category.

“...[It] refers to students found to be in physical possession [of alcohol] at the time in which the incident was documented,” wrote Chandler to The Gazelle.

The report lists the risk reduction and educational programs implemented by NYUAD to reduce unhealthy and unsafe behavior on campus. These programs include Action Zone Bystander Intervention Training, the SAFE (Substance Assessment, Feedback and Evaluation) program, the Real AD Show, the Responsible Employee Training for Faculty and Staff and Consent Dialogues. In addition, the university requires all students to take AlcoholEdu, an online alcohol education course, and Think About It, an online sexual education course.

In comparison, the NYUSH Report shows that there was one case of dating violence, two of burglary and one of arson on public property. At NYUNY, there were 16 reported cases of rape, 12 of fondling, 16 of dating violence, two of domestic violence, seven of stalking, three of robbery, one of aggravated assault, 23 of burglary, three of arson and one of motorcycle theft. In addition, there was one drug-related arrest, a sharp drop from 79 last year, and there were no cases of alcohol-related arrests, a stark decrease from 140 in 2015. There were also 216 drug-related and 1458 alcohol-related reported incidents that were referred for disciplinary action.

“Per the statistics reported in this year’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, there were no significant variations to NYU Abu Dhabi’s campus crime statistics over previous years. Given the vast differences between the campuses in Abu Dhabi, New York, and Shanghai, such as size, location etc. it’s not particularly accurate, or practical, to draw comparisons,” wrote Kate Chandler, Director of Public Affairs and Communication, to The Gazelle.

All NYU campuses keep a daily crime log. The NYUNY daily crime log is published on a rolling basis online, whereas NYUAD keeps the log in the Public Safety Control Room in the East Administration Building. The log includes information on the type of crime, date, time and place, but does not reveal the identity of the individuals involved. The daily crime log is available for review by the public upon request. However, as The Gazelle discovered upon visiting, the log cannot be reviewed on weekends as those responsible are not in office.

This year’s report reveals that NYUAD is still to experience its first fire in residential halls, as none have been reported in this year’s or earlier years’ reports. However, the report only lists fires in residential halls and thus neither reports other fires at NYUAD nor evacuations of residential buildings.

One such fire occurred Nov. 24, 2016, when a small electrical fire occurred in an electrical sensor at B2 level beneath the West Dining Hall. The buildings A1 and C1 were evacuated and the parking garages were closed off. Other fires may have taken place outside of residential areas this past year that are not presented in the report.

There were no reported cases of arrests, burglary, arson, murder, dating and domestic violence or non-forcible sex offenses at NYUAD in 2016.