SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Just before the first days of school UC Santa Barbara students have experienced two assaults in Isla Vista where many students live. But UCSB says the perception of crime may seem bigger because it's making students more aware through its campus alert system.
"It's like once a week you have an alert. It's scary!" says UCSB student Michelle Alfarez.
Michelle Alfarez and Tiare Hoegerman lived in Isla Vista for four years and Tiare remembers an incident to this very day.
"I remember in freshman year one of my friends was assaulted but it seems like its been getting worse the rate of them and the extent of them," says Hoegerman.
Central Coast News checked in with UCSB Public Affairs to see if that perception is true.
The Director of Public Affairs says part of the reason students think crime is going up is because the University has worked to send out more alerts than in the past.
"We make it a point to help students become more aware of incidents in adjacent communities," said George Foulsham, UCSB Public Affairs News Director in a statement to Central Coast News.
But just last night, a woman was assaulted on Pasado Road and just a few street down on Del Playa, two other students were assaulted by an unknown male.
UCSB police statistics show from 2012 to 2011 assaults have gone up 15% and 92% of violent crime last year were assaults.
But its important to know assaults only make up 6% of total crime near campus. UCSB police stats show although assaults have gone up all other crimes have gone down.
And with all these alerts Michelle Alfarez and Tiare Hoegerman say they will be more cautious.
"I live here. This is my home now," says Hoegerman. "And I don't want to be scared."
