On Sept. 28 the Department of Campus Safety published its Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, sharing it to students through a campus-wide email. At around 93 pages long, this report is dense in information. Students trying to educate themselves on NCC’s campus crime victimization may not know the history and procedures behind the report. Reaching the actual crime and fire statistics sections, which begin on pages 80 and 88 respectively, takes time. Here’s what to understand about this report and the accuracy of the information it provides.
The Clery Act
Fully titled the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the Federal Student Aid Office states it requires colleges participating in federal financial aid programs to take part. The federal statute mandates the gathering and disclosure of crime statistics and security information on college campuses.
As law firm JD Supra explains, these reports need to be available to faculty and students by Oct. 1 every year. The report must include crime statistics for the past three years. This encompasses an overview of campus safety improvement efforts, a mandated upkeep of a publicly accessible daily crime log and the expectation of timely warnings/emergency notifications. The linked article by JD Supra further discusses the types of crimes included in the report and other specifications.
JD Supra also provides background on the act. The original push for this statue, and its name, comes from a 1986 criminal incident on the campus of Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. Jeanne Clery was sexually assaulted and murdered in her on-campus residence. Evidently, 38 violent crimes had taken place over the past three years on that campus, a fact Clery’s parents used in their social advocacy campaign. They said that the knowledge of the crime statistics would have changed her decision to attend the college. The Clery’s advocacy campaign succeeded in passing the act in 1990 as an amendment to the Higher Education Act of 1965.
Accuracy
Assessments concerning the accuracy of the Clery reports vary. In some cases, they suggest that crime victimization on college campuses, especially sexual victimization, is not as bad as assumed. However, questions must be asked of whether the reports are an accurate representation of students’ experiences.
Much of this discussion appears to have taken place around 2014 and focuses on college sexual assault. Vox states three reasons why college sexual assault “became impossible to ignore.” These reasons were the use of Title IX as a weapon against sexual assault, organizing by committed activists and media reporting on some college’s mishandling of cases.
Some consider the low reporting of sexual assault on college campuses to be evidence that it is uncommon. These individuals often cite government statistics. Vox explains the differences in study results. More specifically, statistics from the Bureau of Justice Statistics National Crime Victimization Survey are cited to show the prevalence of sexual assaults on campus is less than feared. But as they explain, the difference in statistics may be due to how the studies are conducted.
Even the students’ perception of their victimization can have an impact. After all, some may not self-classify their victimization as an assault even if it fits the definition.
The ‘1 in 5’ statistic
Developing this point further, a PBS story delves into the complexities of judging the accuracy of the “1 in 5” statistic. In essence, the number of colleges included in the study and the definitions of what constitutes sexual assault impact the results. Some studies may consider sexual assault to only be rape, while others include acts such as forced kissing. The “1 in 5” statistic referred to a survey study of two college campuses with a broad definition of sexual assault. PBS makes sure to explain that the study used this statistic to describe the number of women who experience a completed or attempted sexual assault. They relayed that “the percentage of women in the study who specifically experienced completed sexual assaults was 13.7 percent.”
In addition, many individuals may not report their campus sexual assault. Another Vox story discusses the reason why, at the time, reporting was only executed by around 20 percent of victims. This lack of reliable data may also skew statistics of crime on campus, including in the Clery report. Many of the stories and the reports in general come back to the point: we still have a lot to learn about the prevalence of sexual assault on campus.
Campus Safety
Ashley Klco, the Director of Campus Safety, was available for questions on the report. Compiling the data for the report, in collaboration with multiple departments on campus, Campus Safety’s leadership team then conducts a review of the campus crime reports. This review determines whether the campus reports meet the Clery Crime classifications threshold and can be included.
Constructing the criteria for the Clery Crime definitions is the Department of Education’s task. As for timing, this most recent report only represents the calendar year of Jan. 2022 to Dec. 2022. This is especially important to consider when viewing the hate crimes section. Students, faculty and staff from last year may remember the major racist incident that happened on campus. Since it took place Spring 2023 semester, it should appear in next year’s report.
Only the specific types of crimes required to be reported by the Department of Education are included in the Clery report. Should a report not meet the classification for inclusion in the Clery report, that does not mean it disappears. The College publishes a weekly summary and also maintains a report of crime in the geographical jurisdiction. The most recent weekly reports can be found on the NCC website. Anyone interested can find older reports by specifying the date in the browser search bar.
Answering questions of sexual assault on campus and students’ potential reluctance to come forward, Klco began listing resources on campus. The College Title IX Coordinator, Cortney Matuszak, the College’s Advocate, Samantha Godfrey, and campus safety themselves were some of the resources. The availability of a Campus Conduct Hotline (866-943-5787) to report “the possibility of sexual misconduct” has increased reporting communication. An independent third-party provider, the Hotline allows anonymous reporting. It also enables reporting individuals to request responses.
“The research indicates there is underreporting, and we hope the culture created at North Central helps to encourage reporting,” said Klco.
Reactions to NCC’s report
A student and an NCC Sociology faculty member were able to provide their responses to the Clery Act report. Both found the low number surprising.
Kate Del Debbio, Assistant Professor of Sociology, has a Masters in Sociology and has taught gender course studies both here at NCC and at the College of DuPage. She also has experience serving as a Domestic Violence Advocate. After hearing some of the listed statistics for the past year, Del Debbio had some reservations.
“It’s severely misrepresented, severely underreported,” said Del Debbio.
Del Debbio mentions that discussions she has had with professors and students provide a different perspective on campus victimization. Recent conversations with another professor included how a student in their class is experiencing stalking.
The lack of survivor desire to come forward due to potentially harmful consequences may explain some of this misrepresentation. A lack of support for survivors and storytellers is something she has heard from individuals first-hand. Del Debbio also felt the potential for there to be administrative resistance to having a concrete record acknowledging any degree of severity of crime on campus. Especially in an area like Naperville, where the perception of “not in our backyard” can hold weight. But Del Debbio emphasizes the need to destigmatize victimization and acknowledge that it happens everywhere.
“It’s just a shame it’s not more accurate,” said Del Debbio.
Libby Gardner, ’25, also expressed surprise at the low numbers of some of the statistics. Discussing the openness to reporting on campus, Gardner insists that it depends on how safe students feel. To encourage reporting, Gardner emphasizes the need for education on reporting procedures and consequences. She also brought up the need for adequate support systems, resources and protection.
“It depends on how safe they feel it is to report, whether they have the resources to undergo the reporting process and if they are adequately supported in standing up for themselves,” said Gardner.
Conclusion
The Clery Act report has a complicated history, both in its creation and its perception of accuracy. While accurate rates of college victimization may be hard to acquire, underreporting is an acknowledged issue. Some express the need to further ensure victim comfort and their ability to come forward, either through education, destigmatization or further resources.
