Key Takeaways:
- The Department of Education is investigating Brown University for potential violations of the Clery Act, a federal law that requires colleges and universities to meet certain safety standards.
- The investigation comes after a fatal shooting on the Brown University campus, which left two students dead and nine wounded.
- The university’s security cameras and emergency notification system have been criticized for failing to capture actionable images of the suspect and for delayed alerts to students and staff.
- The Department of Education has given Brown University until the end of January to submit records, including its annual security reports and policies related to timely warnings and emergency notifications.
- The university has announced its own after-action review and has placed its police chief on administrative leave during the investigation.
Introduction to the Investigation
The Department of Education has launched an investigation into Brown University’s compliance with the Clery Act, a federal law that conditions the receipt of federal student aid on a college or university’s ability to meet certain safety standards. The investigation comes after a fatal shooting on the Brown University campus, which left two students dead and nine wounded. The shooting has raised questions about the university’s security measures, including its security cameras and emergency notification system.
Background on the Clery Act
The Clery Act is named after Jeanne Clery, a 19-year-old who was raped and murdered in her dorm room at Lehigh University in 1986. The law requires higher education institutions to publish annual security reports, or ASRs, about crime on or near campus, whether it has been adjudicated or simply alleged. Institutions must also provide "timely reports" about threats to students and employees that are reported to police or campus security. The law is designed to ensure that colleges and universities provide a safe environment for their students and employees.
The Shooting and Its Aftermath
The shooting at Brown University occurred on December 13, and the search for the suspect initially appeared to stall. However, tips eventually led police to a New Hampshire storage facility, where the 48-year-old suspect, Claudio Neves Valente, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The university faced tough questions about its security measures, including its security cameras, which seemingly failed to capture actionable images of the suspect. The doors to the Barus & Holley building, where the shooting took place, were also unlocked at the time of the shooting.
Criticism of Brown University’s Security Measures
The university’s security cameras and emergency notification system have been criticized for failing to capture actionable images of the suspect and for delayed alerts to students and staff. The Department of Education has cited "public reporting" that appeared to show that Brown’s campus surveillance and security system may not have been up to appropriate standards, allowing the suspect to flee while the university seemed unable to provide helpful information. The department has also raised concerns about the university’s emergency notification system, which was delayed in alerting students and staff to the shooting.
The Department of Education’s Investigation
The Department of Education has given Brown University until the end of January to submit records, including its 2024 and 2025 ASRs, a copy of the Brown police’s activity logs for recent years, and a copy of its daily crime log. The department will review these records to determine whether the university has complied with the Clery Act. The investigation is not the Trump administration’s first effort to scrutinize Brown University, which reached a $50 million deal with the university six months ago to restore the Ivy League school’s federal funding amid the administration’s broader crackdown to align institutions of higher education with its ideology.
Brown University’s Response
Brown University has announced its own after-action review of the shooting and has placed its police chief, Rodney Chatman, on administrative leave during the investigation. The university has also sought to clarify information about its emergency notification systems, which it says were activated within minutes of the incident. The university’s president, Christina Paxson, has acknowledged that the concerns about safety and security are real and has announced several steps the university is taking to learn from the shooting and bolster campus security.
Precedent for the Investigation
The Clery Act has previously been used to penalize a university in the wake of a campus shooting. The Department of Education investigated Virginia Tech following the April 2007 shooting, which left 32 people dead on the Blacksburg, Virginia, campus. The department alleged that Virginia Tech failed to notify students about the shooting in a "timely manner" as required by the Clery Act and initially fined the university $55,000. Although the fine was later overturned, Virginia Tech ultimately paid $32,500 in fines to the Department of Education in April 2014. The investigation into Brown University’s compliance with the Clery Act is a significant development in the aftermath of the shooting and highlights the importance of ensuring that colleges and universities provide a safe environment for their students and employees.