The University of Wisconsin is not the only campus to witness increases in crime this fall, as two other Midwest schools are facing many of the same problems.

Both Marquette University and the University of Minnesota say they are informing students about the importance of campus safety.

While most recent crimes have occurred outside the Twin Cities campus, U of M Deputy Police Chief Steve Johnson said many of the incidents have taken place in areas of high student population.

"The fact that many of these assaults involve our students really concerns us," Johnson said in an interview, saying the UMPD is working closely with Minneapolis police regarding the assaults and robberies going on in common student areas.

U of M Police Chief Greg Hestness sent a letter to all Minnesota students last month, notifying them of recent assaults near campus. The letter contained information on the assaults as well as tips on how to stay safe, he said.

Johnson also said crime rates on campus haven't changed much this year compared to 2005 because the main problem has been off-campus crime.

In addition to the problems in the Twin Cities, Marquette University has seen more incidents of assault and muggings in recent weeks.

Five students have reported armed robberies at Marquette this fall, heightening the risk of walking alone. Marquette University Director of Communications Brigid O'Brien-Miller explained the university is doing everything it can to maintain a safe campus.

"Safety at Marquette is among our top priorities," she said. "The university has invested in both building a strong neighborhood and a first-rate public safety force to achieve that goal."

MU is advising all students to take full advantage of Marquette's free van transportation service, O'Brien-Miller noted, which prevents anyone from having to walk alone.

O'Brien-Miller also said MU is suggesting students use the 200 blue-light public-safety phones located throughout campus areas.

Like his colleagues at other schools, University of Wisconsin Assistant Police Chief Dale Burke stressed students should always walk in groups.

"The most important thing is not to walk alone at night," Burke said. "That's the main message that we're trying to get across to people."

In the recent assaults near campus, he added, the "common denominator" for the people that have been victimized is that they were alone.

Burke also emphasized that if students are going to drink, they should drink responsibly and use university resources like SAFEwalk or SAFEride.

In addition, Burke noted the UWPD and the Madison Police Department are working hand-in-hand to combat the recent wave of crime.

"We're working in cooperation with the Madison Police Department to try to prevent these crimes from occurring," Burke said. "Whether it's in their jurisdiction or ours, it's certainly a threat to student safety and we both want to do everything that we can to see that that stops."