Administration

Penn State takes action to exceed Clery Act requirements

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State’s Clery compliance coordinator, Gabriel Gates, said the University “strives to exceed the requirements of the Clery Act,” a federal law related to campus safety, during a presentation today (Nov. 16) to the Board of Trustees.

“We aim to build a higher education community standard of excellence,” Gates said about his work providing administrative and advisory support to senior management and the University-wide community. “We attempt to create an open and proactive forum that will raise awareness of campus safety initiatives and crime prevention techniques.”

The Clery Act requires all higher education institutions in the country to disclose certain information about campus crime and security policies. This includes issuing campus alerts, publishing annual security reports, disclosing missing student protocols, maintaining a daily crime log and a daily fire log, and publishing an annual fire report, Gates said.

As coordinator for Clery compliance on all of Penn State’s campuses, Gates collaborates with various offices across the University to develop and implement strategies to ensure adherence to the 1990 law. The law is aimed at providing students, parents and the public access to safety information, as well as educating and training the university community and instituting policies that enhance safety and security.

Gates is meeting these Clery goals by developing relationships with the two leading Clery Act organizations in the country – the Clery Center for Security on Campus in Wayne, Pa., and Margolis Healy & Associates in Richmond, Va., a professional services firm specializing in campus security. As Clery coordinator, Gates has launched a Clery Act training program at Penn State and increased awareness of the law’s requirements. He is working on standardizing reporting procedures and guidelines and establishing accountability by providing resources that will improve safety and security oversight.

“Our holistic approach will become a benchmark for other institutions,” Gates told the Trustees.

To read Penn State’s Annual Security Report, visit http://www.police.psu.edu/cleryact/documents/UniversityParkPolicySafetyU2012.pdf.

Last Updated August 6, 2020