New Federal Rules Will Shed More Light On Campus Crime
For Immediate Release
July 7, 2000
Washington, DC-Colleges and universities will be able to release more information about campus crimes under new rules issued by the federal government on Thursday.
Schools will now be able to name students who are alleged perpetrators of a crime of violence and who have been found by so called "campus courts" to have violated school rules because of that act of violence. Previously college disciplinary proceedings have come under fire for being cloaked in secrecy.
"Colleges will no longer be able to exploit federal privacy laws to protect campus criminals," said S. Daniel Carter a campus safety expert and Vice-President of Security On Campus, Inc. a victims' advocacy organization. "Doing so only protected the school's image while putting other students needlessly at risk."
The information that can be released is limited to the name of the alleged perpetrator, the nature of their offense(s), and the sanction imposed for cases resolved after October 7, 1998. Victim and witness names remain confidential.
Also, under this new guidance parents of college students who are under age 21 can be notified if their student breaks campus alcohol or drug rules. "Parental notification is becoming a popular tool in combating campus binge drinking," notes Carter, "and this new rule ensures that colleges that do this aren't violating federal law."
The rules, which take effect August 7th, do not require schools to release this information, but make it available under state public records laws or school policies.
The complete text of these regulations is available on the U.S. Department of Education web site at…