Dive Brief:
- Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that colleges facing Clery Act fines have had those fines reduced 17 out of 21 times since 2000.
- The average reduction from the originally proposed fine has been more than 25%, Inside Higher Ed reported.
- Six Clery Act fines were doled out from 2000 through 2009, compared to 15 since 2010. The Department of Education plans to double the number of specialized Clery Act enforcement officials over the next few years, indicating the size of the upcoming caseload and number of potential fines.
Dive Insight:
Violations that can draw a Clery Act fine include inaccurate reporting of campus crimes, insufficient sexual assault procedures, and failing to promptly warn campus communities about ongoing safety threats. The largest fine reduction was $55,000 on what was originally proposed at $110,000 in 2005 for Pittsburgh Technical Institute of Oakdale, PA.
Probably the highest profile case was Virginia Tech, over the 2007 massacre that killed 32 people. A proposed $55,000 fine for being too slow to notify the campus community about the gunman was reduced to $32,500 this year. The only four cases where the original fine stuck: at Miami University of Ohio in 2005; Washington State University in 2001; and the University of Northern Iowa and the University of North Dakota in 2013.
