Hunter
02/17/22
An audit conducted by the Iowa Board Of Regents finds the University of Iowa public safety system has deficiencies serious enough to put them at risk of non-compliance with a federal act that requires transparency in reporting safety on college campuses.
The Gazette reports that the audit uncovered findings that could “seriously affect” the university.
The Clery Act requires crimes reported to campus police, including sex offenses, robbery, assault, arson, domestic violence, and hate crimes, be recorded on a daily log within two business days. The incidents recorded require details like nature of the offense, date, time, location and actions by campus police. The audit showed that the University doesn’t have an automated process for adding the crimes into its records. The incidents are entered manually and thus are subject to human error. Additionally, the UI has less than one full time person performing Clery Act compliance activities, compared to other Big Ten schools similar in size to the U of I, which a survey showed an average of 1 ½ to 2 people dedicated to Clery activities.
The UI has also failed to enter Clery crimes from local law enforcement into its log, which is required at the end of every year.
The newspaper says that the UI Department of Public Safety responded to the audit by saying they’re in line to implement new compliance software. If they don’t get the system implemented in a timely manner, they say they will adjust their processes to make sure they comply with the Clery transparency Act.
The audit also took issue with the way the University handles and documents its fire drills. They say the drills are not being performed in compliance with fire safety report procedures and International Fire Code requirements. Federal law requires institutions with on-campus housing to conduct four drills per year, with Iowa code requiring an emergency evacuation drill within ten days of the start of classes.
The audit found records are missing for two residence halls, no process is place to confirm the drills have been performed, and no centralized database to input data on the drills.
The Clery Act statistics are compiled so that prospective students and employees can see annual security and fire safety reports. The audit also states that although the law requires colleges and universities to notify prospective students and employees where to find those reports, that’s not always happening at the University of Iowa. Non-compliance could mean civil penalties of over $58,000 per violation and suspension from federal student financial aid programs.
The audit also said a UI Clery committee established in 2013 still has no charter or defined purpose. UI management says they’re dedicated to reestablishing the committee with a formal charter and scheduled meetings.