Our babysitter is an international grad student (black woman) at MSU who also doesn't have a car and lives very close to / on campus. What the others have said is all true and valid.

A "15 min walk to uni" will leave you in some potentially uncomfortable neighborhoods if you're feeling alone.

Find an apartment on or very, very near campus.

After that, just brush up on your / form some street smarts: Carry pepper spray (and know how to use it! Buy a practice bottle if you've never used it before) if you're going to be walking alone at night; know your way around campus; safety in numbers (usually); etc...

If you're wanting to know about crime stats, use this tool (zoom into springfield and use the filters): https://communitycrimemap.com/?fbclid=IwAR3UvZQWdhpPo9boIwH9abLklo50PvcesTowH_79U18jZL0-cZ_ZrghyuBA