Ohio University released its 2013 Clery Act compliance report late Monday afternoon. This report, which is required by law of all universities that participate in federal financial aid, details critical information about crime on and near campus.
Because the report was released so late in the business day, Post reporters had difficulty reaching many of the sources that can shed additional light on the causes and significance of the data and its trends.
We believe the information is of such importance, however, that we made sure to publish our preliminary analysis on the front page of today’s edition of The Post.
The Clery Act was enacted in 1990 and was named for Jeanne Clery, who was raped and murdered in her college dorm when she was 19 years old. The law was designed to require fuller disclosure about safety around university campuses in the hopes that the knowledge will help people protect themselves.
Indeed, the Ohio University police Chief Andrew Powers wrote in his remarks introducing the report:
“We have included a vast amount of information because it is our belief it will assist the members of our community in protecting themselves — the more we all know about our environment and society, the safer we will be.”
We agree completely. In fact, we have previously expressed our belief that the university can do even more to release information and promote safety on campus beyond the limits required by federal law.
In the coming days, we will dig into the data provided by the report and speak with a variety of university officials about any trends or concerns that might arise.
Safety on and around campus is something many Ohio University students take for granted, though we feel, like many others, that Athens is quite safe — something we are thankful for.
But we feel we have the sobering responsibility to remind our readers that Athens is not completely free of crime. In the first week of September, a student reported being raped in her dorm and, over the summer, a man was convicted of raping an Ohio University student last year.
Constant vigilance is the surest way to prevent another tragedy. This information is critical to the safety of everyone on and near campus. It’s our duty to our readership to report on matters of public safety, and this is no exception. Keep with us throughout the week as we contextualize the report.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post’s executive editors.
