Vanderbilt’s 2025 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, released on Oct. 1, showed an increase in stalking and motor vehicle thefts but a decline in reports of rape, fondling, liquor law violations and drug-related offenses compared to previous years. The report is released annually in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act and the Violence Against Women Act and is submitted to the United States Department of Education. The report provides data on campus crime and safety spanning the past three academic years.
The data in the report were drawn from various sources, including the Vanderbilt University Police Department, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and campus offices such as Title IX and Student Affairs. The report gives students an overview of campus safety and the university’s ongoing efforts to improve it.
First-year Gowtham Pradeep said he believes safety reports are helpful but often overlooked, despite how regularly they are publicized through university emails and announcements.
“I think [the report] is a really useful and necessary resource, but I hadn’t heard about it before,” Pradeep said.
Violence Against Women Act violations
Reports of rape declined from 13 cases in 2023 to five in 2024, and reports of fondling also fell from 15 to nine. In contrast, reports of stalking rose from 12 to 17. No cases of domestic violence were reported.
Cara Tuttle, director of Project Safe, said the center’s staff and team of student peer educators provide year-round initiatives such as consent education, bystander intervention training, healthy relationship programming and survivor support to help strengthen campus safety and awareness. These efforts have been instrumental in reducing reported cases of rape, fondling and domestic violence.
“Every program we offer is a form of prevention — primary, secondary or tertiary — so we hope to see and hope to keep seeing fewer incidents as a result,” Tuttle said. “Faculty and staff attend programs with key campus partners, such as the Title IX Office and Vanderbilt University Public Safety, which are crucial in helping us reach more community members each year.”
The Project Safe Center also features year-round programs focused on awareness, prevention and risk reduction for students, faculty, staff and postdocs.
“[Project Safe] organizes workshops and events to observe awareness months, such as this month’s programming for Dating and Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Stalking Awareness Month [in January] and in April for Sexual Assault Awareness Month,” Tuttle said.
Other crimes
Vanderbilt reported 71 motor vehicle thefts this year, which is double last year’s total and nearly nine times greater than in 2022. The increase is partly due to the definition of motor vehicle theft being expanded to include scooters, e-bikes and golf carts in 2023. All other categories, including liquor law violations, drug-related violations and burglary, declined.
Sophomore Andrea Magali said she was surprised by the rise in motor vehicle thefts and that the increase has made her more aware of where she leaves her electric scooter.
“I was genuinely surprised to read that the number of motor vehicle thefts increased from eight to 71 in just three years,” Magali said. “As a scooter user myself, these statistics make me more careful about where I park and lock my scooter.”
Vanderbilt University Police Department issues an immediate AlertVU notification to students, faculty and staff if a serious emergency is confirmed on or near campus. The most recent full-scale test of the AlertVU mass notification system was on Sep. 9, 2025, and went to all registered devices and Vanderbilt network-connected computers.
For certain urgent threats, such as an approaching tornado, Vanderbilt will activate its outdoor warning system. Sirens will alert people outdoors of danger and may be followed by a verbal announcement with further instructions.
Fire safety incidents
Between 2022 and 2024, 10 fires were reported in residence halls and Greek row houses with no injuries recorded. Kitchen fires accounted for six of these incidents, three of which caused more than $2,000 of damage. Both of the reported fires in 2024, occurred at E. Bronson Ingram College: A kitchen fire caused approximately $12,238 of damage, and a minor candle-related fire resulted in no measurable loss.
Vanderbilt residence halls and Greek row houses are equipped with fire detection and sprinkler systems that activate through smoke detectors, sprinkler water flow or manual pull stations. Sprinklers engage when heat exceeds a set threshold, and some residence halls with commercial kitchens also have hood suppression systems for cooking-related fires.
