Campus Security Authority: A Message from the General Counsel’s Office
Do you organize or supervise off-campus academic or recreational trips for students?
If you do:
1) Thank you. Trips and activities are an essential part of the NU experience.
2) You are (sometimes) a campus security authority.
What does it mean to be a ” campus security authority (CSA)”?
Under the Clery Act, it means you are responsible for reporting criminal activity you become aware of that directly involves students or occurs on campus.
For those of you who don’t regularly supervise student activities, you are only a CSA when you are playing that role. For instance, an adjunct instructor is not typically a CSA, but temporarily becomes one if they take a group on an off-campus academic or recreational trip. They stop being one upon their return to campus.
Of course, those with significant responsibility for campus and student activities are ALWAYS as CSA.
The university will be offering a variety of CSA training over the next year. In the meantime, if you are a CSA and would like more guidance, please write to scole@niagara.edu, put “CSA” in the subject line, and the general counsel’s office will send you the pocket-sized “Campus Security Authority Guide,” which includes a brief history of the Clery Act, and very easy guidance for compliance.