Campus Security Authority (Clery Act): Identifying and Training CSAs

Policy Statement

According to a federal law known as the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, Adelphi University is required to disclose “statistics concerning the occurrence of certain criminal offenses reported to local law enforcement agencies or any official of the institution who is defined as a ‘Campus Security Authority.'”

The goal of the Clery Act is to ensure students, prospective students, parents, employees, and prospective employees have access to accurate information about crimes committed on campus and campus security procedures that will assist them in making decisions that affect their personal safety. In order to accomplish this, the University complies with the Clery Act at all locations, including the proper designation and training of Campus Security Authorities.

Reason for Policy

The job of safety on campus does not rest solely with the hands of the Adelphi University Department of Public Safety. It is a collaborative effort across campus. The purpose of including non-security department employees as CSAs is that many individuals receive reports of a crime or offense, not just Public Safety.

Who Is Governed by this Policy

Faculty, Staff, and Administration, and CSAs

Policy

The law defines “Campus Security Authority” as: “An official of an institution who has significant responsibility for student and campus activities, including, but not limited to, the president, senior staff, all deans of the University, student housing, student discipline, and campus judicial proceedings.” An example would be a dean of students who oversees student housing, a student center, or student extra-curricular activities and has significant responsibility for student and campus activities. Similarly, a director of athletics, team coach, and faculty adviser to a student group also has significant responsibility for student and campus activities. A single teaching faculty member is unlikely to have significant responsibility for student and campus activities, except when serving as an advisor to a student group. Clerical staff, as well, are unlikely to have significant responsibility for student campus activities.

Precisely, campus security authorities are defined as:

1. A campus police department or a campus security department of an institution.
2. Any individual or individuals who have responsibility for campus security but who do not constitute a campus police department or a campus security department under paragraph (i) of this definition, such as an individual who is responsible for monitoring entrance into institutional property.
3. Any individual or organization specified in an institution’s statement of campus security policy as an individual or organization to which students and employees should report criminal offenses.
4. An official of an institution who has significant responsibility for student and campus activities, including, but not limited to, student housing, student discipline, and campus judicial proceedings. If such an official is a pastoral or professional counselor, the official is not considered a campus security authority when acting as a pastoral or professional counselor.

The criminal offenses for which the University is required to disclose statistics are:

Crime Category

• Murder and non-negligent manslaughter
• Manslaughter by Negligence
• Sex offenses:
  • Rape,
  • Fondling
  • Incest
  • Statutory Rape
• Robbery
• Aggravated assault
• Burglary
• Motor vehicle theft
• Arson

VAWA Offenses

• Domestic Violence
• Dating Violence
• Stalking

Arrests and Referrals

• Liquor Violations
• Drug Abuse Violations
• Weapons Violations

Hate Crimes

• All crimes listed in the Crime Category
• Larceny-Theft
• Simple Assault
• Intimidation
• Destruction/Damage/Vandalism of Property

The University is required to disclose statistics for offenses that occur on CAMPUS, in or on NON-CAMPUS buildings or property owned or controlled by Adelphi, and PUBLIC PROPERTY within or immediately adjacent to the campus. For Clery purposes, the definitions of each location are listed below in this policy under “Definitions”.

If an employee has been designated as a Campus Security Authority (CSA) under the Jeanne Clery Act, they are sent an email, which gives them access to the CSA Training course via Moodle. The short training educates them about their responsibilities as a CSA, including the legal requirement to report specific crimes. An employee identified as a Campus Security Authority (CSA) will come under the Department of Education’s mandate for the reporting of crimes that the employee becomes aware of that occurred on campus. Once they complete the training, they will receive a Certificate of Completion and access to additional information regarding Clery, their CSA responsibilities, and contact information.

Subsequently, a letter is forwarded to all individuals in departments who fit the definition of a Campus Security Authority, as previously described. If those individuals are aware of any crimes that were reported to have occurred that were not reported to the Department of Public Safety, they are instructed to forward the information. There is a copy of the Campus Security Authority Report available on the Moodle Training Webpage. If it is available, they are to provide the date, location, and a brief description of the incident.

The University has a responsibility to notify the campus community about any crimes that pose an ongoing threat to the community, and, as such, campus security authorities are obligated by law to report crimes to the University Department of Public Safety. They are instructed that even if they are not sure whether an ongoing threat exists, they are instructed to immediately contact the Adelphi University Department of Public Safety.

 

If you are in doubt as whether a crime is reportable, please err on the side of reporting the matter. With the exception of liquor, drug and weapons law violations, it is immaterial whether an arrest is made. For purposes of your reporting, please assume that a hate crime is any crime manifesting evidence that the victim was selected because of the victim’s actual or perceived race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity/ national origin, gender identity or disability.

Campus Security Authority Training

A training video for CSAs is available on the Public Safety intranet, accessible by faculty and staff.

Definitions

Crime Offenses

• Murder and Non-Negligent Manslaughter: The willful (non-negligent) killing of one human being by another.
• Negligent Manslaughter: The killing of another person through gross negligence.
• Sex Offenses: Any sexual act directed against another person without the consent of the victim, including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent.
  • Rape: The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.
  • Fondling: The touching of the private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification, without the consent of the victim, including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her age or because of his/her temporary or permanent mental incapacity.
  • Incest: Non-forcible sexual intercourse between persons who are related to each other within the degrees wherein marriage is prohibited by law.
  • Statutory Rape: Non-forcible sexual intercourse with a person who is under the statutory age of consent.
• Robbery: The taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear.
• Aggravated Assault: An unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. This type of assault usually is accompanied by the use of a weapon or by means likely to produce death or great bodily harm.
• Burglary: The unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft.
• Motor Vehicle Theft: The theft or the attempted theft of a motor vehicle.
• Arson: Any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, personal property of another, etc.

VAWA Offenses

• Domestic Violence: Domestic Violence: A felony or misdemeanor crime of violence committed by a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim; by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common; by a person who is cohabitating with, or has cohabitated with, the victim as a spouse or intimate partner; by a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction in which the crime of violence occurred; by any other person against an adult or youth victim who is protected from that person’s acts under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction in which the crime of violence occurred.
• Dating Violence: Violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim. The existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on the reporting party’s statement and with consideration for the length of the relationship, the type of relationship, and the frequency of the interaction between the persons involved in the relationship. Dating violence includes, but is not limited to, sexual or physical abuse or the threat of such abuse. Dating violence does not include acts covered under the definition of domestic violence.
• Stalking: Engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to: Fear for the person’s safety or the safety of others; or suffer substantial emotional distress

Arrests and Referrals

• Liquor Violations: Violation of state/local laws prohibiting the purchase, transportation, or use of alcoholic beverages.  (Not including driving while intoxicated)
• Drug Abuse Violations: violation of law prohibiting the use/possession of controlled substances and the devices used in their preparation or use.
• Weapons: Carrying, possessing, Etc. The violation of laws or ordinances prohibiting the manufacture, sale, purchase, transportation, possession, concealment, or use of firearms, cutting instruments, explosives, or other deadly weapons.

Hate Crimes

• Larceny-Theft: The unlawful taking, carrying, leading or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another.
• Simple Assault: An unlawful physical attack by one person upon another where neither the offender displays a weapon, nor the victim suffers obvious sever or aggravated bodily injury involving apparent broken bones, loss of teeth, possible internal injury, severe laceration, or loss of consciousness.
• Intimidation: To unlawfully place another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm through the use of threatening words and/or other conduct, but without displaying a weapon or subjecting the victim to actual physical attack.
• Destruction/Damage/Vandalism of Property: To willfully or maliciously destroy, damage, deface, or otherwise injure real or personal property without the consent of the owner or the person having custody or control of it

Campus

1. Any building or property owned or controlled by an institution within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area and used by the institution in direct support of, or in a manner related to, the institution’s educational purposes, including residence halls; and
2. Any building or property that is within or reasonably contiguous to the area identified in paragraph (i) of this definition, that is owned by the institution but controlled by another person, is frequently used by students, and supports institutional purposes (such as a food or other retail vendor).

Non-campus building or property

1. Any building or property owned or controlled by a student organization that is officially recognized by the institution; or
2. Any building or property owned or controlled by an institution that is used in direct support of, or in relation to, the institution’s educational purposes, is frequently used by students, and is not within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area of the institution.

Public property

1. All public property, including thoroughfares, streets, sidewalks, and parking facilities, that is within the campus, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus.

Procedures

Identifying Campus Security Authorities (CSAs)

The Department of Public Safety has a comprehensive list of all Campus Security Authorities. A CSA is identified according to the definition of a CSA stated under “Policy”. On at least a bi-annual basis, The Department of Public Safety sends out emails to the following departments: Athletics, CSI/Greek Life, Office of the Provost, Residential Life, Study Abroad, and other relevant departments when needed. Public Safety requests that they provide a current list of names of those fitting the criteria of a CSA (specified in email). This includes employees, students, and volunteers fitting the description of a CSA.

Once Public Safety receives the lists back from the departments, they utilize the current list of CSAs and make updates accordingly. After the list is updated, Public Safety notifies new CSAs that they have been identified as a CSA and are required to take the training, via a Moodle email from the Training Course. Public Safety also notifies continuing CSAs on at least a bi-annual basis that they are a CSA and if they would like, they can view the training course to remind them of their responsibilities.

Training Campus Security Authorities (CSAs)

Those who have been identified as a CSA receive an email, which gives them access to the CSA Training Course provided through Moodle (an online educational platform that provides custom learning environments). The short training educates them what the Clery Act is, who are CSA’s, and what their responsibilities are.

As the CSA’s view the presentation, they are to answer a few questions and completely view the presentation in order to receive a Certificate of Completion. The certificate of completion is valid until the training is update. When the training is updated, the CSA’s are notified and will be required to take the new training (updated every two years with a start date of February 2018 for online training).

The online training course for CSA’s is Mandatory.

Forms

This policy does not have forms associated with it at this time. Upon periodic policy review this area will be evaluated to determine if additional information is needed to supplement the policy.

Related Information

Campus Security Authorities (CSA)

Campus Security Authority training video

Access to CSA’s Only: Online Moodle Training Course

Adelphi University Emergency Notification & Timely Warning

Adelphi University Emergency Notification

Document History

• Policy Origination Date: Not known
• Last Reviewed Date: July 23, 2024
• Policy Reviewed by: Policy Owner and Policy Experts
• Last Approval Date: July 23, 2024

Who Approved This Policy

Policy Owner and Executive Leadership