February 23, 2017
Policy Update: Rights and Protections for the Transgender Community on Campus
Clery Center advocates for safer campuses and promotes learning environments grounded in dignity and respect. All students deserve the right to learn in an institution free from harassment and discrimination.
Higher education administrators, law enforcement, public safety, faculty, and students often adopt a forward-thinking approach to inclusion through efforts to better understand their campus climates and marginalized populations at their institution. The most recent amendments to the Clery Act through the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) expanded hate crime reporting to include the category of gender identity, and we support – and will continue to support – laws and guidance that further provide frameworks for schools to create safer environments for their students. The addition of gender identity to the hate crimes category of the Clery Act provides one opportunity to assess the level of violence and bias against transgender students on college campuses.
On Wednesday, the Trump administration withdrew the most recent protections in place for transgender students that enabled transgender students to use facilities that correspond with their gender identity. While the recent letter from the United States Departments of Justice and Education affirmed that withdrawal of the guidance “does not leave students without protections from discrimination, bullying, or harassment,” its issuance signals a lack of commitment to ensuring free access to education for vulnerable populations, particularly transgender students, at the federal level.
Efforts to create safer campus environments will only succeed if we are cognizant of the needs of all students and stakeholders on our campuses. We must continue to engage in conversations, evaluate data and campus climate, and take action to support everyone in our higher education communities and beyond.
For more information and guidance, take a look at these free resources:
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April 18, 2017
In the Work of Prevention, A Shared Responsibility to Step Up
As April 16, 2017 marked the ten year anniversary of the Virginia Tech tragedy, survivor and campus safety advocate Kristina Anderson contributes the following post offering her perspective on the importance of personal engagement in public safety.
April holds many poignant dates significant to those in violence prevention and response – anniversaries mark the tragedies that occurred in Littleton, Blacksburg and Boston. Each one reminds us of the potential of violence to occur, of the important lessons that have been learned.
As members of the faculty, professors, and the greater student body, we enter upon communities that are vibrant, expansive and supportive. We navigate through our time in university or college with unconscious belief, that the learning environment will also be safe, and secure, for our physical and emotional well-being.
The maintenance of safety has to be one of the core values of an environment that helps to position people to stretch beyond their personal and cognitive limits of original, and personal growth. Human beings are in positions to learn and transfer knowledge, take imaginative risks and contribute to their relationships best when they feel personally safe.
There is a critical but sometimes only faintly visible contract underlining our presence in academia: once we accept the privilege and opportunity to serve in learning environments, we inherently begin to play a role in contributing to the safety and security of that community.
To participate in the process of claiming ownership for safety within a campus, ask questions.
If you’re a member of staff or teaching faculty: What is the workplace violence prevention policy? If I have an issue or concern about the wellness of student or colleague, what are the recommended procedures for bringing this to light? How, and by whom, will my issue be handled?
If you are a parent visiting campus: don’t allow your education about campus security to be derailed or appeased by the knowledge of blue-light towers or emergency call boxes. As permanent fixtures, they provide a visual reaffirmation and chance to reach 911, yet it’s important to understand the greater initiatives and preventative steps in campus preparedness. The professors and faculty, what level of prevention and emergency response training are they provided? In case of an act of violence, who has the authority to send out mass communications? Does local law enforcement and campus safety officials participate in training together? Do the classrooms doors have locks? If it’s not an immediate emergency, how can my student voice a concern, or potential safety issue?
When we participate in the process of claiming ownership for safety and security and take on the work of awareness, we accept that safety is not a guarantee but a shared value and goal. This realization is our greatest potential to preventing violence.
– Written by Kristina Anderson
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March 30, 2017
Hazing Is Not Tradition: Remembering the Life of Gary DeVercelly Jr.
Spring time! Our family’s favorite time of year. Everything is fresh, flowers are blooming, and baseball season is starting. As parents of three children, we spent a lot of time watching, coaching, and cheering our children on as they played baseball, softball, football, and volleyball. For our oldest son, Gary Jr., life was best lived on a baseball field. He fell in love with the game when he was 3 years old. Throughout his life, he had a love and passion for the game that eventually brought him to the East Coast for college. He wanted to be – no, he was going to be – a General Manager for a professional baseball team.
But on March 30th, 2007, Gary’s dream ended when he died as a result of a fraternity hazing ritual.
It will be 10 years – a decade – this March 30th. Grief changes over time, and people often ask how we cope. Our family likes to reminisce about Gary – it’s our way of keeping him with us. We share stories of Gary with his brother and sister, Emily and Noah, and find happiness in learning about a secret he shared with Emily or some shenanigans he and Noah got into. We try to focus on the sweet memories our family has – laughing at his silliness, boasting of his accomplishments, reminiscing of his kindness and supportive way.
Then the bitter sweetness of it comes, as it always does, when the reality of his death seeps back into our thoughts. Talking about Gary Jr. is easy. Living without him is not. He is gone, and he is never coming back. Gary is just a memory now. We can share with Emily how her big brother was the only one who could get her to stop crying when she was little, but she can’t talk to Gary about it. We can tell Noah how Gary fixed his swing when he was struggling at the plate and made him a better hitter, but he can’t ask Gary what he fixed. This aspect of his loss may seem trivial to someone reading this, but it feels big to us at this stage of grief. We miss our son.
Gary was 18 years old when he died. Coping with his death is the hardest thing we have ever done. No one should go through what we went through. We have dedicated ourselves to preventing other families from suffering the same tragedy.
When we began our work, we saw that hazing was widespread, common, and had been an acknowledged part of campus life for a long time. For us, this was unacceptable. We learned that very few people were addressing the issue of hazing. Then, we found the Clery Center.
Clery Center is the leading resource in campus safety. They have helped us turn our best intentions into actions that are making a difference in so many ways:
- Working alongside the dedicated staff at Clery Center, we produced “We Don’t Haze”, an award-winning documentary. In this 17-minute film, victims share personal stories about their experiences with hazing. Viewers learn what hazing entails, why it is problematic, and how they can accomplish unity and team-building goals with positive, powerful alternatives to hazing. The video has been shown to college-aged students across the country.
- We are active in discussions with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to create meaningful, anti-hazing legislation.
- We spend most of our time on education, as we believe that a problem well-defined is a problem half-solved. We talk to educators, coaches, teachers, students, parents, and others about what constitutes hazing – and provide examples of positive alternatives.
Nine out of ten students who describe hazing behaviors do not consider themselves victims of hazing, according to a 2008 study conducted by the National Study of Student Hazing. “It wasn’t hazing”, they say when describing forced binge drinking or sleep deprivation, “That’s just tradition”.
Tradition is sharing memories with your children or playing baseball together at the park. Hazing is not tradition.
The Clery Center has done a lot of good work towards raising hazing awareness and encouraging prevention. However, each headline of another hazing death is another indicator that there is much more work to be done. We invite you to join us in changing the culture of hazing by viewing We Don’t Haze and the accompanying materials found here. Help us raise awareness and prevent hazing at college and university campuses across the country.
-Written by Gary and Julie DeVercelly, Clery Center Board Members
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September 29, 2017
5 Things You Should Know About the Clery Act Annual Security Report
School shootings, hazing deaths, and sexual assault have led people to question safety on college campuses. Fortunately, colleges and universities across the country just released critical information about steps they take throughout the year to prevent and respond to crime on their campuses.
In 1990 the Jeanne Clery Act was signed into law and the intent was clear: colleges and universities should make information about reported crimes and policies readily available to their community. The themes of the law are transparency and accountability. The Clery family championed the law in honor of their daughter, Jeanne, who was raped and murdered by another student during her freshman year of college in 1986.
This is why every October 1st colleges and universities throughout the country notify students and employees of the release of their Annual Security Report (ASR). This document tells the story of how campuses commit to keeping their students and community members safer.
We’ve summarized what to look for in the ASR. This information provides education if you are not familiar with how to read an ASR. If you work on a campus and are responsible for distributing the ASR, consider using the facts below to communicate its purpose to your campus community:
1.) Numbers
The ASR includes reported crime statistics. These numbers reflect reports of sexual assaults, hate crimes, alcohol violations, motor vehicle thefts, and dating violence, among other crimes. Some people assume that campuses reporting lower numbers of crimes like sexual assault and dating violence are safer. However, many times the opposite is true. Sexual assault and dating violence are underreported both on and off campus. As a result, higher numbers may indicate that a campus is talking about these crimes regularly and openly communicating how students can report these crimes. If you build an effective reporting system rooted in trust and transparency, you will draw people to report because they feel better supported. Consider digging deeper after looking at the numbers to get a sense of educational programs and options available to students and employees – that will help you understand how accessible these reporting options are on the campus.
2.) Warnings to the Campus Community
The Clery Act requires protocols to notify the campus community in the event of an emergency or threat to campus. The ASR describes how the campus communicates about potential danger to students and employees (through two types of alerts called timely warnings and emergency notification). It is important to understand the process for notifying your campus community and what formats these take (text message, email, social media) so that you are sure to receive this important information.
3.) Know Your Rights
The ASR details rights and options for people reporting crimes to the institution (including campus law enforcement and/or public safety). The report includes both on- and off- campus resources, so this valuable information may be useful for students, employees, and/or parents. There is also specific information on anonymous or confidential reporting options.
4.) Education
Prevention education and awareness programs should be detailed in the ASR. Campuses provide information for general crime prevention; fire safety; sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking prevention; and drug and alcohol abuse education and resources. These sections are a great way to know how the campuses approaches prevention work and how students and employees can access this education.
5.) Help is Available
The ASR provides information on building safety, emergency drills, and how to report a crime. These key policies publicize campus practices and ensure that students are treated with respect throughout a process.
After many decades of progress, Clery Center, working in collaboration with families, campuses, and lawmakers, continues to advocate for a comprehensive strategy to prevent and respond to campus crime. We urge students, parents, and campus staff to use this information. Look at how your campus (or prospective campus) talks about safety, prevention, and awareness. Pay attention to processes followed when a student reports a crime and the programs that build a safer community.
We all play a role in campus safety. What steps will you take in working together for safer campuses?
Looking for more information? Check out the resource on Understanding Crime Statistics.
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