NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Feb. 20 -- A steady rate of harassment incidents continues to keep Rutgers University students, current and future, on edge.

Reports of criminal harassment have regularly found a place on the monthly crime logs of the Rutgers University Police department. 55 cases have been reported in the past three months, with 12 cases cited this February alone. With an undergraduate student body over 42 thousand strong, Rutgers delights in its diversity, yet struggles to maintain feelings of peace and safety on campus.

Sitting on the banks of the Raritan River, Rutgers University and the greater New Brunswick, N.J. area is home to over 55 thousand residents as of the 2010 national census. While definitively a college town, New Brunswick shares many of the great amenities found in any other city. Theaters, markets, and a lively night scene are some of the fantastic features of this small yet close-knit city. Nevertheless, as a city, New Brunswick has its hands full preventing crime.

Harassment cases however, are particularly hard to manage. According to former N.J. prosecuting attorney John Marshall, harassment is “one of the more sketchy criminal offenses.”

“Whether a communication constitutes harassment depends on the prior course of the parties, the setting of the utterance, and the gender, age and occupation of the person to whom the utterance was passed. A communication may be harassing depending on the sensitivity of one individual yet not be harassment to another. What is pivotal is that it was actually harassing to the individual and that the communicator intended the communication to be harassing.”

Harassing physical behavior however, must be classified as “serious” or alarming. The unsettling number of cases reported by Rutgers Police indicates that these harassment cases were more than minor annoyances.

A major part of the college selection process is based on a student’s feelings of comfort and well-being. In light of these statistics, as well as the heavily-documented Tyler Clementi bully/suicide controversy that struck the University last fall, incoming freshmen are beginning to question how comfortable their next four years are going to be.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little worried about how I’m going to be treated next year,” said incoming freshman Eileen Hallman. “At the very least I want to live in a place where I can feel unthreatened and comfortable each day. I think college is going to bring enough stress as it is.”

Rutgers University attracts a large and diverse group of students. Tyler C. Picone, a second-semester sophomore, and member of the Rutgers LBGT community also feels like the University environment can be threatening and uncomfortable.

“Last year, the Tyler Clementi incident showed us that people here aren’t always very tolerant. While I don’t feel like I’m in danger in my day-to-day routines, I do believe that harassment is a very real possibility and a threat to student diversity that certainly needs to be further addressed.”

Rutgers University’s anti-harassment policy promises that it is “committed to handling complaints and reports of discrimination and harassment swiftly, fairly, and with sensitivity.” Students can only hope that that commitment leads to a safer, more secure learning environment in the months and years to come.