The Department of Education is required by statute to maintain the confidentiality of this preliminary report in order to facilitate the program review process. The University is committed to fully engaging in the review process and will maintain the confidentiality of the report. The Department of Education will make a final program review determination after this process is complete, at which time more information about the investigation can be made public.
The review was sparked by allegations of sex offenses on campus by former football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. The Department of Education notified the University of this review in a Nov. 9, 2011 letter.
Since that time, officials across Penn State have provided the review team with access to all requested records and information sources. In addition to unfettered access, Penn State also hired a full-time Clery compliance manager in March of 2012 who has been working with leading Clery Act organizations across the country to standardize procedures, establish accountability protocol and create guidelines for individuals, including those identified as Campus Security Authorities, to follow. Penn State also has instituted a mandatory Clery Act training program for employees.
The Clery Act requires all higher education institutions in the country to disclose certain information about campus crime and security policies. This includes issuing campus alerts, publishing annual security reports, disclosing missing student protocols, maintaining a daily crime log and a daily fire log, and publishing an annual fire report. The law is aimed at providing students, parents and the public access to safety information, as well as educating and training the university community and instituting policies that enhance safety and security.
The federal law is named for Jeanne Clery, a 19-year-old Lehigh University freshman who was raped and murdered by another student in her campus residence hall in 1986.