What Happened?
Your college is required by federal law to publish a yearly report on campus crime and sexual assault, and recent allegations at Cornell University over the case of "Jane Doe" have renewed debate over whether those rules go far enough. The Congressional Research Service (CRS), Congress's nonpartisan research arm, analyzed the current state of that law and what changes are in the pipeline.
The Clery Act requires every college and university that receives federal student-aid money to publish an Annual Security Report (ASR) by Oct. 1 each year, covering campus crime statistics for the prior three years and the school's security policies. Covered crimes include murder, sex offenses, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, arson, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and bias-motivated offenses, on campus, on adjacent public property, and in off-campus buildings controlled by recognized student organizations.
The Department of Education enforces the law and can fine schools up to $71,545 per violation, limit their federal aid, or cut off student-aid eligibility entirely.
The Stop Campus Hazing Act was enacted on Dec. 23, 2024, adding hazing reporting requirements to colleges' annual security reports and requiring institutions with reportable hazing violations to update a new Campus Hazing Transparency Report at least twice a year.
Why Does it Matter to Me?
Colleges that take federal student aid must disclose reported incidents of covered crimes, not only those that result in a finding of guilt.
The Annual Security Report must also describe how the school handles sexual assault and relationship violence cases, including what evidence standard it uses and how it notifies both parties of outcomes. Because institutions can accrue multiple fines, Clery Act violations have led to multimillion-dollar settlements.
The new hazing transparency report must name the student organization involved, describe the violation, list any sanctions, and include the incident date, though it cannot identify individual students.
Both Sides, Now
Critics point to evidence that the reporting system is unreliable: a 2024 review by the California State Auditor found that five of six audited colleges had inaccurate or incomplete Clery statistics, with UC Santa Cruz underreporting 33 crimes and Mount Saint Mary's overreporting 15 in their 2022 data, errors the auditor warned could mislead students about actual safety risks.
A separate case documented by PennLive showed Penn State paid a $2.4 million fine for chronic Clery Act violations, showing the existing framework has not always prevented serious reporting failures.
The Trump administration's Department of Education retains enforcement authority, including the power to select schools for compliance reviews based on prior violations, complaints, and media reports. Congress's role is to pass any new legislation that would expand or change those requirements.
What Happens Next?
A bill called the Campus Accountability and Safety Act was introduced on Oct. 8, 2025, and referred that day to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. If passed, the bill would expand Clery reporting to cover how schools resolve Title IX complaints and require each institution to designate a sexual and interpersonal violence specialist.
The Senate committee would need to advance the bill before the full Senate could vote, and the House would also need to pass it before it could become law.
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