The University of Nebraska at Kearney is disappointed with the $65,000 fine imposed against the school by the U.S. Department of Education for violating the Clery Act.
The announcement of the fines comes after a review of how the campus compiled and reported crime statistics in its 2009 Annual Security Report, which included statistics for the years 2006-2008.
The review found that the report failed to abide by federal regulations in three areas. First, the University did not correctly provide the geographical breakdown of all incidents, meaning, they calculated the crime statistics based on which a crime was reported rather than where it occurred.
Secondly, the university did not appropriately distribute the report to prospective employees and graduate students. The school officials simply posted a link on its official webpage. Finally, the university inaccurately reported a burglary as a larceny. As items were removed from a custodial closet, which is not a public space, the incident should have been cited as a burglary.
Clery Act fines for under-reporting or not reporting assaults would be anywhere between $35,000 and $150,000. Nearly $27,500 for inaccurate crime statistics and failing to notify prospective graduate students and employees was levied against UNK. Additional $10,000 was slapped for miscoding a burglary as a larceny.
Dismissing the DOE allegations, Kelly Bartling - a spokesperson for the university - said that the safety of students, staff and visitors to the campus was their topmost priority.
"UNK is committed to accurately reporting statistics in our Annual Security Report, and proactive in complying with all Clery Act requirements. UNK is a safe campus, with very low rates of crime overall and very few violent incidents," said Bartling in a statement. "We are disappointed in the nature and magnitude of these fines, but will remain proactive and vigilant in terms of campus safety and compliance."
