The Clery Update

Announcements

As we inch closer and closer to the end of the semester please be mindful if you have ANY reports of crime disclosed to you please be sure to report them to the Clery Compliance Officer before you leave campus for the semester. Now is the time to get any reports in before the hustle and bustle of the end of the semester.

You may have noticed there are more visitors on campus lately (the garages are much more full than usual). You may get this question, "How safe is West Chester's campus?" I know I do. One of the ways I respond is directing folks to the Daily Crime Log.  This is a great snapshot of the crime reported on campus to either Public Safety or any Campus Security Authority and offers a 'look back' of 60 days so you not only get an idea of what was recently reported but that which was reported over a nearly two-month time frame. Add this in too, it's updated at the latest every two days.

Campus Security Authority training for West Chester's Study Abroad advisers and West Chester's summer camp staff and counselors is currently in production and will be assigned during the early part of May. If you are hosting a summer camp or program your staff members have already been classified as CSAs based upon the function of their position and will receive CSA training through their provided email address from noreply@cleryedge.com (like with regular CSA training).

 For those of you who are already CSAs and who are now study abroad advisers as well this will be a supplemental training to the training you completed in the fall.

Clery Edge, the institution's Clery compliance software, will be updated in the coming weeks with version 2.0. There are multiple features included in this update that will maximize West Chester's ability to stay compliant with the Clery Act. Of particular note in the area of CSA training— the updated Clery Edge CSA module will notify you of which questions you answered incorrectly during the CSA quiz.

Be Clear on Clery

In most cases it is possible for a CSA to fulfill their responsibilities while still maintaining victim confidentiality. CSA reports, as you know, are used by West Chester to compile statistics for Clery Act reporting and to help determine if there is a serious or continuing threat to the safety of the campus community requiring an alert (i.e. a Timely Warning or emergency notification). These responsibilities can usually be met without disclosing personally identifying information. A CSA report need not result automatically in the initiation of a police of disciplinary investigation if the victim does not wish to pursue this action. 

Upcoming Clery Dates

May 10, 2025 (last day of finals)- please submit reports of crime not submitted previously by that date

Clery Fact/Did You Know

Previous newsletters spoke about final program review determinations (FPRD) and the fines levied from such a review. The maximum fine amount as of April 24, 2025 is a flat $70,000 per Clery violation.  In most cases the Department of Education (ED) has chosen to assign the maximum fine amount for failing to collect crime statistics from all required sources and for publishing crime statistics involving crimes against persons. But did you also know ED assesses fines at the same amount for other violations. In the table below you'll see the types of violations found typically in an program review and where the maximum fine was levied by ED.

As you can see from the fines levied ED is not kidding around. For this reason West Chester goes to great lengths to ensure it is compliant and remains compliant year after year; compliance at West Chester is a  year-round endeavor.
This time of year we collect statistics from our Noncampus properties. Public Safety recently got a call from a  Pennsylvania State Police barracks in the far western part of the state responding to a letter requesting statistics from a non-campus property located in their jurisdiction.  Just so you know how well West Chester collects their statistics the trooper commented, "ya know, no one else asks for these except West Chester."

Reminders

Test Your Clery Knowledge

What two positions are not considered Campus Security Authorities under the Clery Act

A. student Ombuds and director of student health center
B. the president of the university and the executive vice president and provost
C. the director of athletics and the Senior Woman Administrator
D. pastoral counselors and professional counselors

CSA of the Month