In July 2014, the U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid Clery Act Compliance Division launched a review of the Clery compliance program at UC Berkeley. The review analyzed university policies, procedures and statistics from 2009-2016.
The Department of Education has recognized that the university addressed all organizational impairments, strengthened its Clery Act compliance program and, therefore, closed its review in fall 2019. Rather than impose a fine for the administrative violations cited, a settlement agreement was reached in September 2020.
The Clery Act is based on the premise that current and prospective students and employees are entitled to accurate, complete, and transparent disclosures about campus crime and threats to their personal safety, allowing them to make well-informed decisions about where to study, work, and live. As a campus, we wholeheartedly agree with that charge and have taken numerous steps to improve our compliance efforts.
Since the review began, we have updated and purchased new emergency alert systems and records management technologies, created a new campus Clery coordinator position, convened a campus-wide Clery Compliance Committee, created more robust training opportunities, increased staffing levels, strengthened policies and procedures to address sexual violence and sexual harassment on campus, and streamlined campus safety policies and procedures.
Our commitment to campus safety has never wavered, and we will continue to make the well-being and security of the UC Berkeley community our top priority.