Photo: President Barack Obama signing into law the most recent amendments to the Clery Act (the Violence Against Women Act, also known as VAWA) in 2013.
Clery Center & Public Policy
Since the 1990 passage of the Clery Act, Clery Center has worked with lawmakers to advance campus safety policy and help our nation’s colleges and universities meet evolving compliance standards. As a result, we offer unique insight into the requirements of the legislation.
Clery Center's Policy History
Photo: Connie & Howard Clery (right) with George H.W. Bush.
Clery Center’s Current Policy Agenda
Since its founding in 1987, Clery Center has engaged with policymakers in recognition of the significant impact that could result from legislation: driving systemic change on college campuses. Building on this history and experience we share our 2021-2020 public policy agenda to inform and guide all our constituents about our advocacy priorities over the next two years as we work to advance equity in campus safety legislation in alignment with our organizational mission of working in partnership with colleges and universities to create safer campuses.
Read the full policy agenda
Title IX
While serving separate and distinct functions, Title IX and the Clery Act share some of the same goals—namely to create equitable and transparent processes for responding to violence and crime on campus. Unfortunately, the 2020 Title IX regulations prescribe complicated, confrontational disciplinary procedures that do not meet this goal. Through identifying these areas and working with other nonprofit organizations advocating on behalf of survivors, we hope to correct these inequities with regulations that better serve both survivors and respondents.
Read our Statement of Position on the 2020 Title IX Regulations, which was shared widely with legislators and stakeholders alike and resulted in a Congressional Delegation Letter led by Representative Ann McLane Kuster (NH-02) and signed by 16 members of Congress, here.
We most recently joined almost 300 educators, students, and community members from around the nation to offer comment during the Department of Education’s public hearing in June 2021. You can read more about it in our August 2021 newsletter, here.
Get free Title IX resources
Federal Hazing legislation
While the Clery Act itself continues to guide both institutions’ and our organization’s framework for creating safer campuses, many pressing issues fall outside the scope of the current legislation. Clery Center has been working closely with partner organizations and legislators to champion the passage of federal hazing legislation in order to standardize requirements at the federal level for hazing prevention and response efforts on campuses nationwide.
Get Free Hazing Resources
Hate Crimes
Clery Center is working to educate lawmakers on the need for consistency in documenting and collecting information on hate crimes on college campuses by the Department of Education, FBI, and state and local governments.
Get our free resource, created in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League and the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, Combating Hate Crimes on College and University Campuses, here.
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program’s resources
Handbook for Campus Safety & Security Reporting
The rescission and replacement of the 2016 Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting with the much less robust Clery Act Appendix, removed a key resource for Clery Act compliance. The Handbook was developed in response to persistent requests from campus safety administrators for further clarification, guidance, and examples of how to best implement Clery Act requirements. While the Handbook was not a binding document, it served as an accessible, comprehensive resource for the hundreds of front-line administrators often acting as a department of one to ensure their institution’s compliance with a law tied to federal funding. Clery Center intends to advocate for improved sub-regulatory guidance on the Clery Act from the Department of Education; educate policymakers about the implications of the Interim Final Rule on Rulemaking and Guidance Procedures; and strategically monitor and respond to proposed legislation and reforms that directly impact implementation of the Clery Act.
Read the Clery Act Appendix
 Protect Your Students, Protect Your Institution
With fines of up to $69,733 per Clery Act violation, compliance is an issue no college or university can afford to put off. Clery Center Membership supports you in proactively meeting the requirements of the Clery Act to create safe, compliance campus environments for students and staff. Learn more today!
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