The Post

To the University Community:

At Niagara University, we develop policy to ensure our critical operations are defined and routinely updated, that the guidance of policy is accessible to those who need it, and to promote legal compliance. With that in mind, familiarity with university-wide policies is critical for our entire community.

Attached, please find the new university-wide policy for Compliance with the Clery Act. The purpose of this policy is to emphasize a culture of awareness and dedication to campus-wide safety, and compliance with the specific requirements with the Jeanne Clery Act.

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (20 USC § 1092(f)) is the landmark federal law, originally known as the “Campus Security Act,” that requires colleges and universities across the United States to disclose information about crime on and around their campuses. The law also requires that schools afford the victims of campus sexual assault certain basic rights, and that they have provisions dealing with registered sex offender notification and campus emergency response. The law protects crime victims, “whistleblowers”, and others from retaliation. It also has requirements regarding timely warnings, evacuation, and training.

Clery compliance is tied to an institution’s participation in federal student financial aid programs and it applies to most institutions of higher education both public and private. The Act is enforced by the United States Department of Education.

Of especially note is the fact that any university employee (faculty or staff) who is responsible for organizing and/or supervising extra-curricular student activities (such as a class trip), is a “Campus Security Authority” who must report instances of certain criminal behavior to Campus Safety.

With this new organizational structure in place, you may be hearing more about training and events geared towards Clery Compliance. Should you need to reference this policy in the future, you may find it under “Clery Compliance” on the Policy Index at “policies. Niagara.edu.” If you need to link this policy to a section of the Niagara.edu website, you may do so by using the link on the Policy Index.

Thank you for your attention to this important policy.

Stephanie A. Cole, Esq.
General Counsel