The federal government has fined Virginia Tech $5,000 for a violation of a campus safety law in connection with the 2007 massacre, The Washington Post reports. The fine follows a finding that the university had inconsistent policies on the timely warning of safety threats, and it failed to disclose one of them as required under the federal Clery Act. The maximum possible fine for such a violation is $27,500.
The proposed legislation was revised following discussions with sexual assault survivors, changing the directive that colleges must report all Part 1 violent crimes or hate crimes to local law enforcement legislation, adding that colleges must report said crimes unless the victims expressly requests otherwise.
New head coaching agreements at universities specifically reference the Clery Act, a federal statute requiring schools to collect information on alleged crimes and make timely warnings of ones that suggest an ongoing threat.
In today’s era of budget cuts, education leaders are looking for ways to leverage existing resources to meet institution-wide goals, as opposed to buying new, expensive tools that may or may not work as intended.
At the Clery Center's 25th Anniversary Event, speakers discussed a variety of topics, including sexual violence reporting on campuses, threat assessments and knocking down the "cylinders of excellence" (aka silos) in organizations.