Clery Act Letter (Advisors)
Spring 2024
Dear Campus Colleague,
The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) requires colleges and universities to disclose statistics annually both for crimes reported to local agencies and crimes reported to campus security authorities. The Cornell University Police Department is responsible for the annual collection of Clery Act crime statistics, and for reporting such information directly to the U.S. Department of Education and to the Cornell University community in CampusWatch, the Clery Act-mandated Annual Security Report published each year.
You are receiving this letter because you are a Campus Security Authority (CSA) as defined by the Clery Act in your role as an advisor to a student group. The attached informational packet explains, in detail, the Clery Act, your role as a CSA, and the responsibilities you have in this role. Whether you are new to the CSA role or have long been identified as a CSA, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions. As the university’s Clery Act Compliance Administrator, I conduct annual CSA trainings and can provide additional trainings upon request.
The Clery Act requires that we include in our annually published statistics any Clery Act crime reported to a CSA. Those offenses are: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, manslaughter by negligence, sex assault (rape, fondling, incest, and statutory rape), robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, arson, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. We are also required to report statistics for arrests or campus disciplinary referrals for liquor law violations, drug related violations, and/or weapons possession. Finally, the Clery Act requires that we report statistics for certain bias-related (hate) crimes. These Clery Act crimes are defined further in the enclosed packet.
We are required to disclose such statistics for offenses that occur (1) on campus, (2) on public property, including thoroughfares, streets, sidewalks, and parking facilities, within or immediately adjacent to the campus, and (3) in or on non-campus buildings or property. The Clery Act defines non-campus buildings or property as those owned or controlled by a student organization that is officially recognized by the institution, or any building or property owned or controlled by an institution that is used in direct support of, or in relation to, the institution’s educational purposes, is frequently used by students, and is not within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area of the institution.
To ensure that the University meets this and other compliance requirements set forth under the Clery Act, I am writing you to ask that you to provide information concerning the occurrence of any such Clery Act crimes reported to you as soon as your receive them either by contacting Cornell Police through Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center at (607) 255-1111 or by using the University’s online incident reporting system for non- emergency incidents at: https://cornell.guardianconduct.com/incident-reporting and selecting the “Clery Act CSA Reporting/Crime Statistics” report form. There is no need to forward reports that you have already provided to the Cornell University Police Department or have submitted via the University’s incident reporting system using the “CUPD Criminal Activity,” “Sexual and Related Misconduct,” or “Student Code of Conduct” form. If you have used any of these forms to report an incident to the appropriate university office, for example an incident of sexual misconduct to the Title IX Office, there is no need to report it a second time for Clery Act purposes.
CSAs are encouraged to report Clery Act crimes to the Cornell University Police Department as soon as they become aware of any such offense. The Clery Act requires that the University provide timely warnings to all staff, students, and faculty of any crimes that pose an ongoing threat to the campus community. The intent of these warnings is to enable people to protect themselves. This means that a warning should be issued as soon as pertinent information is available. In the event that you are made aware of a Clery Act crime, even if you are not sure whether an ongoing threat exists, immediately contact Cornell Police through the Cornell University Public Safety Communications Center at (607) 255-1111 so that we may determine whether the Clery Act’s timely warning requirement has been triggered and, if so, promptly issue a “Crime Alert” to our community. Timeliness is essential.
For your information, please check Cornell’s Annual Security Report at https://www.cupolice.cornell.edu/campus-watch/annual-security-report/. If you have specific questions regarding any of the points in this letter, please contact me directly either by phone, 607-255-4393, or email mem25@cornell.edu . Thank you.
Kindest regards,
Peggy Matta
Clery Compliance Administrator Access Control Program Administrator Division of Public Safety
365 Pine Tree Road Ithaca, New York 14850
t. 607.255.4393