The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) is a federal mandate requiring all institutions of higher education (IHEs) that participate in the federal student financial aid program to disclose information about crime on their campuses and in the surrounding communities. The Clery Act affects virtually all public and private IHEs and is enforced by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). Campuses that fail to comply with the act can be penalized with large fines and may be suspended from participating in the federal financial aid program. 

Printable Clery Act and Title IX Pocket Guide  clery act magnet image

 

Compliance with the Clery Act

The U.S. Department of Education created The Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting to present step-by-step procedures, examples, and references for higher education institutions to follow in meeting the campus safety and security requirements of the amended Higher Education Act of 1965.

Clery Act Requirements

The requirements fall into three categories based on the configuration of an institution. Montana State University is mandated to:

  • Collect, classify, and count crime reports and statistics related to crime.
  • Issue timely warnings and campus alerts for Clery crimes that represent an ongoing threat to the safety of students or employees, or emergency notifications upon confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees.
  • Provide educational programs and campaigns. To promote the awareness of dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking, we must: provide primary prevention and awareness programs to all incoming students and new employees; and provide ongoing prevention and awareness campaigns for students and employees.
  • Have procedures for institutional disciplinary action in cases of dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. 
  • Publish an annual security report containing safety and security-related policy statements and crime statistics and distribute it to all current students and employees. We must also inform prospective students and employees about the availability of the report.
  • Submit crime statistics to the US Department of Education each fall via a web-based data collection.
  • Maintain a daily crime log of alleged criminal incidents which is open to public inspection.
  • Disclose missing student notification procedures that pertain to students residing in on-campus student housing facilities.
  • Disclose fire safety information related to on-campus student housing facilities. This includes a fire log that is open to public inspection and publishing an annual safety report containing policy statements, as well as fire statistics associated each on-campus housing facility.