About

The Great Reading Room in Bizzell Memorial Library

The Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act

What is the Clery Act?

The Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act is a consumer protection law that aims to provide transparency around campus crime, hazing, policies and statistics. The purpose of the Clery Act is to provide the campus community with timely, accurate and complete information about crime and the safety of campus so that they can make informed decisions to keep themselves safe.

All institutions of higher education that accept Title IV funds are required to disclose campus crime and fire safety statistics and various campus safety and security policies through an annual security and fire safety report (ASFR).

What is Required?

The Clery Act specifically requires that colleges and universities have in place and disclose the following policies, practices and procedures:

Policies regarding procedures for students and others to report criminal actions, hazing or other emergencies on campus and information regarding the university’s response to such reports
Policy concerning security of and access to campus facilities and the security considerations used in the maintenance of campus facilities
Campus law enforcement policies
The type and frequency of programs designed to inform students and employees about campus security procedures and crime prevention procedures and practices and to encourage students and employees to be responsible for their own security and the security of others
Annual reporting of statistics concerning Clery criminal offenses and hazing reported to campus security authorities and local police agencies that occurred on campus, at noncampus buildings or on non-campus property, and on public property immediately adjacent to or accessible from the campus
Policy concerning the monitoring and recording through local police agencies of criminal activity by students at non-campus locations of student organizations officially recognized by the university
Policy regarding possession, use and sale of alcoholic beverages and enforcement of state underage drinking laws
Policy regarding possession, use and sale of illegal drugs and enforcement of federal and state drug laws
Description of drug and alcohol abuse education programs
A statement that the university will, upon written request, disclose to the alleged victim of a crime of violence or non-forcible sex offense the report on the results of any disciplinary proceeding conducted by the university against a student who is the alleged perpetrator of such a crime or crimes
Information regarding emergency response and evacuation procedures
Policy regarding missing student notification procedures
Policy regarding campus programs to prevent domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking
Procedures that students should follow in the case of an alleged domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking
Where information concerning registered sex offenders may be obtained
Policies relating to hazing including the process used to investigate hazing
Policy regarding hazing prevention and awareness programs that includes a description of research-informed campus-wide prevention programs designed to reach students, staff and faculty
The publication of a Campus Hazing Transparency report

How is the Clery Act separate from Title IX and Mandatory Reporting?

Title IX is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs and activities. There is significant overlap between Title IX requirements and the Clery Act in relation to institutional response to incidents of dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. While the Clery Act is specific to higher education, Title IX also applies in K-12 setting

Under both laws, certain individuals have specific responsibilities when dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking is reported to them. However, it is important to understand that the Clery Act and Title IX, while similar in some aspects, are separate laws with separate purposes and requirements. It is possible for an OU community member to have a reporting responsibility for the Clery Act or Title IX, or both

Under the Clery Act, a group of individuals called Campus Security Authorities are required to report Clery Act crimes to the designated crime collection body at the institution; for The University of Oklahoma, this is OUPD. Reports from CSAs inform institutional response, such as providing a victim of dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking with a written explanation of rights and options, analyzing whether there is a serious or ongoing threat that would warrant a timely warning, and determining whether a Clery Act crime occurred that must be reported in the institution’s statistics.
Under Title IX, an institution has actual knowledge of an incident when information is reported to the Title IX coordinator or to officials with the authority to institute corrective measures. Such information results in specific actions by the institution, including outreach from the Title IX coordinator to explain what supportive measures are available and how someone can file a formal complaint with the institution. To learn more about Title IX and reporting requirements, visit OU's Institutional Equity Office.