Safety

The tornadoes that ripped across the South in April devastated everything in their paths. Some institutions had to close their doors before semester’s end.

After the murder of their daughter in her residence hall room in 1986, Howard (now deceased) and Connie Clery pushed for a federal law to strengthen campus crime awareness and personal safety. November 8 marked the 20th year for the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. All colleges and universities receiving federal funds must disclose crime statistics under the law, which continues to evolve.

Leaders at Arizona higher ed institutions have been maintaining proactive responses to concerns about whether their policies may change as a result of SB 1070, a new law that makes it a crime to be in Arizona without legal immigration status.

Here is a glance at what a campus law enforcement agency pursuing accreditation through a national organization can expect. The publications Standards for Law Enforcement Agencies, 5th Edition, and CALEA Process and Programs Guide, provide more details.

1. Curb assessors' travel costs. Wake Forest University (N.C.) lent their assessors a university vehicle, organized work-related meals, and housed them at one of the institution's hotels. "Get creative," advises Police Chief Regina Lawson. "I'm sure if you have an empty residence hall, they are not above staying [there] or in a guest apartment."
2. Be prepared for extra must-have's. Some standards may require additional expenditures (such as a certain brand of lockers for storing evidence or reconfiguring card access) to be in compliance, Lawson notes.

A staggering 95 percent of sexual assault cases on college campuses go unreported, according to findings of a nine-month investigation by The Center for Public Integrity. Confidential mediation, which is the usual course of action taken by university officials in lieu of judicial action, often leaves victims feeling further victimized as it results in a lack of accountability and punishment for offenders, notes report author Kristin Lombardi.

The 53-campus system includes seven state universities and 25 community and technical colleges offering more than 3,500 programs to 374,000 students and 140,000 continuing career education enrollees. With campuses five to six hours apart, Karen Bergmeier, ITS project lead- er and Cisco WebExTM solution liaison, found herself traveling four to five hours two to three times each week to conduct training on the system’s proprietary software.

With Expansive views of the mighty Hudson River and a campus that consistently ranks among the nation’s most beautiful, Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY, offers students an idyllic setting for learning. Still, like every other school, Marist faces serious threats to its IT network, and its unique campus, with 49 buildings spread across 180 acres, posed special security challenges to its IT staff.

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) has enhanced security in three of its largest parking lots with the addition of video surveillance systems from ADT Security Services.