The U.S. Department of Education (Department) today announced its office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) is imposing a $14 million fine as a result of a settlement agreement with Liberty University (Liberty) for material and ongoing violations of the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act), including with respect to its published crime statistics and treatment of sexual assault survivors. This is the largest fine ever imposed for violating the Clery Act, which requires institutions to provide important information about public safety issues to current students, parents, employees, prospective students and employees, and the public postsecondary schools participating in the federal student aid programs. As a part of the settlement, Liberty agreed to spend $2 million over the next two years for on-campus safety improvements and compliance enhancements. Progress on that work will be audited by an outside accounting firm. The Department will also conduct its post-review monitoring of Liberty through April 2026 to ensure that the school executes on promised improvements. Any further lapses in Clery Act compliance could jeopardize the terms of the University’s participation in the federal student aid programs or result in other administrative sanctions against the institution.
“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 FSA Chief Operating Officer Richard Cordray. “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.”
In February 2022, FSA notified Liberty that it would conduct a program review to evaluate Liberty’s Clery Act compliance. The announcement followed the receipt of several complaints that alleged the university had engaged in a pattern of conduct that reflected serious violations of the Clery Act.
In May 2023, FSA’s Clery Group issued a program review report identifying significant violations of the Clery Act by Liberty. Liberty provided FSA more information in response to the program review report, and today, FSA issued a Final Program Review Determination (FPRD) letter that upholds 11 findings in the program review report:
- Finding 1: Lack of administrative capability –Liberty substantially failed to develop and implement an adequate Clery Act compliance program between 2016–23, the years FSA reviewed, and did not meet its regulatory responsibilities in numerous and serious ways. Specifically, the evidence acquired shows, among other things, that Liberty failed to: 1) provide accurate and complete informational disclosures; 2) comply with a number of sexual violence prevention and response requirements, 3) issue timely warnings to advise the campus community about criminal activity that may have posed a significant or ongoing threat; 4) issue emergency notifications to advise the campus community about emergencies or dangerous situations that may have posed a threat to health or safety.
- Finding 2: Inaccurate and incomplete informational disclosures – In its Annual Security Report (ASR) Liberty failed to develop and implement required statements about campus safety and crime prevention policy, procedure, practice, and programs and include accurate and complete informational disclosures in its annual security reports.
- Finding 3: Failure to comply with Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) requirements – VAWA amended the Clery Act to expand and enhance the sexual violence prevention and response requirements that apply to all schools that participate in the federal student aid programs. Liberty failed to comply with numerous sexual…
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