National acts exist to insure safety on college campuses

As students embrace the start of another school year, an important aspect to note is one’s own safety. It is important that Mt. Hood students feel safe when they are attending classes, and that the necessary precautions are taken. Those of you who take night classes should understand the importance of the buddy system when walking through the parking lot before and after classes. Campus Security  protection is another luxury afforded to students.

When asked about the role of Campus Security, few students understand all the tasks that these diligent officers perform to ensure their safety. Even fewer students are aware of protections offered through various legislative acts passed over the years, as campus safety has come into question on many occasions.

One very important act that addresses safety issues on campus is known as the Clery Act. In 1986, a woman by the name of Jeanne Clery was raped and murdered on campus by another student at Lehigh University, in Pennsylvania. Following this heinous crime, the school’s poor security measures were revealed and many changes were made in the security departments of campuses all across the country.

In simple terms, the federal Clery Act requires all campuses to pay closer attention to crime on school grounds, and to make available to students information on these crime patterns, in a timely manner. It also requires school administrations to take appropriate action if a crime is reported, while preventing administration from retaliating against students who report crimes.

Acccording to the nonprofit Clery Center, the Clery Act, which was amended by Congress in 1992, is especially important in addressing the violence that was often tolerated against women in the past.

Another act that has been especially important in campus safety is the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), adopted by Congress in 1994. According to the White House Factsheet, the goal of this act was to reduce the amount of crimes against women (on campus or not). By taking these reports more seriously, the law essentially brought about harsher punishments for offenders and created more ease among women to report these crimes. A key feature of this act is the “rape shield law,” which in most cases prevents a victim’s sexual history from being disclosed during an already stressful trial.

Both of these acts have made huge strides in addressing the horrors that come with violence against women, especially violence on a college campus.

The updated annual Clery report for Mt. Hood is now available for all students, and others, to view.

Those of you who are interested in learning more about the crimes that may have occurred at MHCC are urged to visit the Public Safety office located in Room 2330.