The issue of campus safety is a vital concern for students, their families, faculty, and staff. In compliance with the federal law for crime statistics known as “The Student Right to Know and Campus Security Act of 1990” (more commonly called the “Clery Act”), the College has posted the 2015 Annual Security Report Handbook online.
The law, originally enacted by Congress in 1990 as the Campus Security Act, was initiated by Howard and Connie Clery after their daughter Jeanne was killed at Lehigh University in 1986. Amendments to the Act in 1998 renamed it in memory of Jeanne Clery. The Clery Act requires colleges and universities to publish an annual security report every year by October 1st that contains three years of crime statistics and certain policy statements, including sexual assault policies, which ensure basic victims’ rights and point to resources available including where students, staff, faculty, and visitors should go to report crimes.
The Department of Education requires the reporting of criminal offenses occurring on:
- Main Campus
- Adjacent public property to the College’s perimeter property (such as Shoreview Park).
- Non-campus property that we have a relationship to (such as the Sears Parking Lot), and
- Residence facilities, if applicable.
In addition to crime statistics and reporting information, the second section of the Annual Report provides information on Title IX, The Violence Against Women’s Reauthorization Act of 1994 (VAWA), and The Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (SaVE). VAWA and SaVE enhanced The Clery Act and were created in response to increasing reports of violence against college-aged female students. Their legislation represented a turning point in our nation’s handling of sexual misconduct and offender accountability. Under Title IX’s sexual discrimination prohibition, the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights has underscored that all students, regardless of gender or gender identity, are to be treated equitably in complaints involving sexual violence.
Crime statistics (always for the previous year) are made available to the public on or before October 1st each year.
While not federally required by the above acts, Shoreline Community College’s crime and injury occurrences are also provided in the Report. If you have any questions or comments about the Report’s content, please contact Safety & Security Director Robin Blacksmith at 206-546-4633.
