Columbia University Public Safety is dedicated to the safety and well-being of our community. In alignment with this commitment, we adhere to the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act, commonly known as the Clery Act, which applies to colleges and universities across the country.
The Clery Act mandates transparency around campus crime statistics and security policies, ensuring that students, faculty, staff and other community members are well-informed of what is happening in and around their campuses, and are up to date on certain safety policies, procedures and programs. Below you can find more information about Columbia University’s Clery Act program and links to various campus safety resources.
- The Daily Crime and Fire Log – The Clery Act requires Columbia University Public Safety keep two publicly accessible logs:
- The Daily Crime Log contains information about all criminal allegations that occurred in Columbia’s Clery Reportable Geography, that were reported to Public Safety.
- The Fire Log contains information all fires in on-campus student housing (as defined by the Clery Act).
- Clery Crime Alerts and Emergency Notifications are different types of alerts that are issued promptly whenever a significant or ongoing threat emerges, ensuring our community stays informed and promoting safety. Clery Crime Alerts are sent to the community when a Clery crime has occurred in Columbia’s Clery Reportable geography that may represent a serious or continuing threat to the community. Emergency Notifications are sent out when there is an immediate emergency threatening the safety of our campus communities.
- The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, which is published on October 1st of every year, offers a transparent view of campus safety – featuring three years of Clery crime data, safety policies and procedures, descriptions of prevention programs and updated Clery Act geography for all Columbia University campuses.
- The Stop Campus Hazing Act, which was passed in December 2024, updated the Clery Act by requiring institutions to have an institution-wide anti-hazing policy, added Hazing as a Clery Act Crime for reporting purposes, and required the publishing of a Campus Hazing Transparency Report. The latest report is available on our website.
- Our Campus Security Authority (CSA) program ensures compliance with the Clery Act by identifying and training personnel across the University who are required by the Clery Act to notify the Director of Clery Act Compliance of any reports of Clery Act Crimes that allegedly occurred within our Clery Reportable Geography. Our website contains various resources for both CSAs and our community members interested in learning more about our reporting responsibilities, including definitions of Clery Act Crimes and our Clery Reportable Geography.
- The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), enacted in 1994, expanded the Clery Act by adding domestic violence, dating violence and stalking to its reporting responsibilities, requiring institutions to publish detailed reporting procedures and policies regarding these types of crimes (along with sexual assaults) and requiring the implementation of comprehensive primary prevention and awareness programs, covering topics like consent, bystander intervention, and healthy relationships. Details on these programs and statistics can be found in our Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports. Additionally, VAWA’s amendments to the Clery Act required the creation of a written document that outlines a person’s rights and options if they are victims of sexual assault, relationship violence and/or stalking. Read the Rights and Options document.
We encourage you to click on any of the links above if you are interested in learning more about Columbia University’s Clery Act compliance program. If you have additional questions about the Clery Act, please do not hesitate to contact us. You can reach the Director of Clery Act Compliance, Roberto A. Pineda Sanchez by emailing him at [email protected].