Dartmouth’s 2014 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, known as the Clery report, has been posted on the College’s website.
The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics, also called the Clery Act, is a federal law that requires colleges and universities to annually distribute to all students and employees a report containing descriptions of College policies relating to security, alcohol and drug use, statistics on fires in residential buildings and on certain crimes that have occurred on and close to campus, safety information, and available resources for crime victims.
The report must be delivered each year by October 1. Faculty, staff, and students received an email today linking to the report. A notice was also sent today to the families of undergraduate students.
The document includes federally-defined campus crime statistics from the past three calendar years.
Read more:In an October 1 letter to the community, Interim Dean of the College Inge-Lise Ameer calls attention to the increase in the number of sex offenses reported, from 15 in 2011 to 35 in 2013, which she says are believed to be up as a result of greater reporting rather than an increase in the actual incidence of sex offenses.
“We know that sexual assault incidents are vastly under-reported and we are committed to promoting greater reporting even as we work to eradicate sexual violence from our campus,” Ameer says.
In addition, this year’s report reflects an expanded definition of hate crimes, which now include crimes based on gender identity and national origin in addition to crimes based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or disability.
“We believe that the increase in reported hate crimes reflects this expansion of categories as well as our efforts to foster a climate of reporting and to use new reporting tools,” says Ameer.
The report also indicates that there was a larger number of arrests for liquor law violations and discipline for liquor law violations than in the past two years. Ameer says the increase reflects a change in recordkeeping that the College made based on the advice of nationally-recognized Clery experts.
“In an effort to be more comprehensive and better reflect the intent of the Clery law, we now include non-disciplinary educational referrals to the BASICS program as ‘liquor law violations referred for disciplinary action.’ What appears to be an increase in violations is actually a result of this new recording method. We continue to dedicate resources to and make progress in reducing high-risk drinking on our campus,” she says.
“Dartmouth is committed to evidence-based prevention efforts and to providing resources and support to every member of our community,” Ameer writes in the letter. “Your safety and well-being are at the heart of all that we do. If you or someone you know is having difficulty with alcohol or has been affected by sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking, help is available from a variety of campus and community resources, including from Safety and Security, and also from the Hanover Police Department.
”We strongly encourage individuals to report incidents of sexual assault, gender-based harassment, or bias incidents so that personal, medical, academic, and other supports may be made available,” she writes. “We are dedicated to promptly addressing these incidents and responding effectively through investigation and other remedies in order to make our campus safer.“
Ameer encouraged community members to review the report and said those with questions, concerns, or need of assistance can contact Heather Lindkvist, Dartmouth’s Title IX coordinator/Clery compliance officer, or Harry Kinne, Dartmouth’s director of Safety & Security.
