by Zachary Agovino
Being safe and secure, and feeling
safe and secure, on campus is very important to the wellbeing of all the
students here at UNCC and college campuses around the country. One way that makes people more comfortable
and safe is knowing what has happened on campus and around the campus in terms
of crimes. This has been accomplished by
the Clery Act, which came about after the rape and murder of Jeanne Clery in
her dorm room at Lehigh University.[1] Jeanne was attacked in her dorm because the
doors to the hall were propped open for the convenience of the students.[2] Jeanne’s parents said that they were not
worried about safety because “they assumed it was as safe as it looked.” But they were not aware of the crimes that
had occurred there recently because the campus security was not required to
disclose that information to the public.[3] This lured students into a false sense of
security thinking that they had nothing to worry about on a campus that
actually had quite a bit of crime.
Clery Act
Being safe and secure, and feeling
safe and secure, on campus is very important to the wellbeing of all the
students here at UNCC and college campuses around the country. One way that makes people more comfortable
and safe is knowing what has happened on campus and around the campus in terms
of crimes. This has been accomplished by
the Clery Act, which came about after the rape and murder of Jeanne Clery in
her dorm room at Lehigh University.[1] Jeanne was attacked in her dorm because the
doors to the hall were propped open for the convenience of the students.[2] Jeanne’s parents said that they were not
worried about safety because “they assumed it was as safe as it looked.” But they were not aware of the crimes that
had occurred there recently because the campus security was not required to
disclose that information to the public.[3] This lured students into a false sense of
security thinking that they had nothing to worry about on a campus that
actually had quite a bit of crime.
With the increase in incidents nationwide
on college campuses, the Clery Act has become very important to us as college
students. The Clery Act itself “requires
colleges and universities publish an Annual Security Report (ASR) by October 1,
documenting three calendar years of select campus crime statistics including
security policies and procedures and information on the basic rights guaranteed
victims of sexual assault” and “to have a public crime log”[4] Basically this means the college has to
report crimes that happen on or near campus and put the information in an accessible
place, i.e. the internet. One of the
best way for people to be prepared and make good decisions is to be
knowledgeable about the world around them and especially about where they spend
about 80% of their time.
College is one of the best times in
our lives but it is also the time in our lives when people take the most
risks. Knowing about the world we live
in significantly reduces the risks we take, and the Clery Act has given us the ability
to be prepared.
[1] Gross, Ken, and Andrea Fine. "After
Their Daughter Is Murdered at College, Her Grieving Parents Mount a Crusade for
Campus Safety." Time Magazine, January 19, 1990.
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20116872,00.html (accessed
March 31, 2014).
[2] Ibid
[3]
ibid
[4] Clery Center, "Summary Of The Jeanne
Clery Act." Last modified 2012. Accessed March 31, 2014.
http://clerycenter.org/summary-jeanne-clery-act.
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