Volume 2, No. 41 October 25, 2002
The college answers questions about campus safety reporting By Bruce Chong On Sept. 23, the Savannah College of Art and Design received a surprise visit from S. Daniel Carter, a representative of an organization called Security On Campus. Ostensibly, Carter was here to review the college’s daily crime logs. Carter visited the college campus safety dispatch office at 210 Barnard St. and asked to see the daily log. The security officer he spoke with misunderstood his question and referred him to student services, where he was handed a copy of the college’s annual security report. Carter reportedly asked again for the daily logs and was referred to the office of Gene Friedman, director of campus safety. Friedman was out of the office at the time of Carter’s visit but offered, through the Lathrop Hall receptionist, to meet a short time later. Carter did not wait. In each instance, the person Carter contacted assumed he was requesting the college’s annual security report, while he wanted to view the college’s daily crime log, which is actually kept at 119 Jefferson St. The end result of Carter’s visit was his letter of complaint sent to the U. S. Department of Education. In response, the DOE has asked the college for information about the visit and campus safety policies, which the college is providing. The following is in response to questions from the college community. Frequently asked questions: What is Security On Campus? The Security On Campus organization was set up by the parents of Jeanne Clery as an information clearinghouse to lobby and address national college crime legislation and as a watchdog of sorts on colleges and their compliance for what is known as the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. It is also referred to as simply the Clery Act. What is the Clery Act? The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (formerly the Campus Security Act) is a federal law that requires institutions of higher education in the United States to disclose campus security information including crime statistics for the campus and surrounding areas. It was enacted by Congress in 1990 and amended in 1992, 1998 and 2000. (Source: Security On Campus Web site, http://www.campussafety.org/) What does a school have to disclose under the Clery Act? Schools must publish and disseminate an annual campus security report containing various security policies and the past three years of crime statistics. They also must issue timely warnings about crimes that pose an ongoing danger. Schools with a police or security department of any kind must also maintain a public crime log of all crimes reported to that department. (Source: Security On Campus Web site, http://www.campussafety.org/) Where can I find the Savannah College of Art and Design’s report? A copy has been inserted into this edition of The Campus Chronicle and it is available during regular business hours at the campus security administrative office at 119 Jefferson St., 525-1827, which is staffed Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Friedman’s office at 22 E. Lathrop Ave., 525-5080; and at the office of Geoffrey Jowett, dean of students, at American Hall, 7 Drayton St., 525-6950. The annual security report is also available for review at anytime on the college Web site at, www.scad.edu/safety/. Where can I find the daily crime logs? The daily crime logs are available during regular business hours at the campus security administrative office at 119 Jefferson St., which is staffed, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.; or by calling Friedman at 525-5080. In addition District, the student newspaper, prints excerpts from the daily crime logs and the dean of students’ reports each week. What kind of information does the Department of Education want? The U.S. Department of Education letter to the college is available as a PDF on the college Web site at www.scad.edu/safety/, by clicking on the download page. The DOE has requested information on access and availability to the daily crime log (see above), the treatment of crimes on public property and the policy on timely warning(s). The college is providing this information to the Department of Education and it is available as part of the annual security report. Are DOE and SOC concerned about safety at SCAD? The safety of the Savannah College of Art and Design community is the college’s top priority, but both the Department of Education request and the Security On Campus complaint are focused on specific aspects of compliance with the Clery Act. Neither Carter nor the Department of Education has made any allegation that there is a safety problem at the college. For example, the DOE has requested information about how the college calculates crimes on public property for inclusion in the report. This is how the process works. Friedman requests crime reports from the Savannah Police Department for the locations of all of college buildings. The crime reports are reviewed by Friedman and Greg Phlegar, director of judicial services. Not all crimes are reportable due to their location, which must be on campus or on a street bordering a SCAD building to be reported. The Clery Act is very specific in the crimes that need to be reported. When there is any doubt, Friedman visits sites to determine if they are in proximity to college facilities. If they are and the crime meets the Clery Act guidelines, it is listed on the annual security report and entered into the Department of Education Web site. Where can I find more information? Friedman has a weekly column, "On the Safe Side," in The Campus Chronicle, and will be featured this week in District as well as on WRFS, the student radio station (www.scadradio.org) and on the student-run Web site, The Hive (http://hive.scad.edu/), or check the Web sites listed below for more information about campus safety, the college’s annual report, DOE or local crime stats from the Savannah Police Department. Chong is dean of communications. Web site resources • Savannah College of Art and Design Campus Safety Web site: www.scad.edu/safety/ • Savannah College of Art and Design Annual Security Report: www.scad.edu/statistics/ • U. S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education Campus Security Statistics Web site: http://ope.ed.gov/security/ • Savannah Police Department Web site and database: http://www.savannahpd.org
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