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The U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday it is fining Liberty University $14 million as part of a settlement with the school over various campus safety violations that broke federal law.
It is the largest fine ever imposed for violating what is known as the Clery Act, which was signed into law in 1990 and places requirements on colleges and universities on the subject of crime with the goal of increasing accountability and transparency.
In addition to the $14 million fine, Liberty has agreed to spend $2 million “over the next two years for on-campus safety improvements and compliance enhancements,” the Department of Education said.
The fine came two years after the department launched its investigation, which found that the university had violated the Clery Act. The investigation was launched following complaints.
“Students, faculty, and staff deserve to know that they can be safe and secure in their school communities. We respond aggressively to complaints about campus safety and security,” said Richard Cordray, chief operating officer of the department’s office of Federal Student Aid. “Through the Clery Act schools are obligated to take action that creates safe and secure campus communities, investigate complaints, and responsibly disclose information about crimes and other safety concerns. We will continue to hold schools accountable if they fail to do so.”
The Department of Education said Liberty failed to: 1) “comply with a number of sexual violence prevention and response requirements,” 2) “issue timely warnings to advise the campus community about criminal activity that may have posed a significant or ongoing threat,” and, 3) issue emergency notifications to advise the campus community about emergencies or dangerous situations that may have posed a threat to health or safety.”
Liberty University, in a statement, said it is “firmly committed to Clery Act compliance and the safety and security of our students and staff without exception.”
“The Department’s Clery Act Program Review covered more than seven years and is, by far, the most extensive review period of any higher education institution in the Department’s history of published reviews,” the statement said. “Many of the Department’s methodologies, findings, and calculations in the report were drastically different from their historic treatment of other universities. Liberty disagrees with this unfair treatment. Nevertheless, the university was able to negotiate a final settlement and outline the terms of the Department’s two-year post-monitoring process in a collaborative manner.
“…It is a new day at Liberty University. We now have a model Clery program for compliance with many campus improvements that will benefit our students and staff for years to come. We will continue to work in cooperation with the Department to prioritize student safety and to advocate for a fair, consistent, and principled standard of Clery compliance that is applied equally to all universities without prejudice.”
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Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
