Education:University

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The White House is taking new actions to combat sexual assault, particularly on college campuses, as President Barack Obama announced a new task force to help educational institutions prevent and respond to sexual violence as well as beef up the ability of federal agencies to hold schools accountable if they aren’t addressing problems.

Northwestern University police are creating a Community Emergency Response Team program to train volunteers in emergency preparedness in an effort to enhance campus safety and security.

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.

The First Florida District Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that colleges and universities have no vested or delegated authority to regulate firearms on campus – only Legislature has that authority, according to a report from The Examiner.

Penn State University is in the process of installing more than 600 security cameras in dormitories and common areas of its main campus.

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.

“When I had the opportunity to move from parking and transportation at the University to leading the strategic security and safety effort on campus, we made a very strategic and important decision to build the structure to be broader than law enforcement. We incorporated all aspects of campus safety and security,” says Dr. Bob Harkins of the University of Texas, Austin. “That decision speaks volumes about the leadership at the University. It was a decision to make this department an enabler for the business of protecting and educating students, faculty and staff. That was a very strategic decision encompassing law enforcement, campus safety and security, business continuity and risk management as core missions.”

The Virginia Supreme Court has overturned a jury verdict in the wrongful-death suit filed against the state by the families of two students who were killed in the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre.

Villanova University announced it is considering adding a full-service police force to its campus, along with the possibility of arming its officers, UPI.com reports.