Tarleton told of $137,500 fine for inaccurate crime documents
By JULIE VRAZEL
Issue date: 10/29/09 Section: News
Tarleton State University could face a fine of $137,500 from the U.S. Department of Education for violations to a federal law that requires universities to disclose accurate information about serious crimes on their campuses.
The fine is believed to be the first levied against a university in Texas.
"Tarleton recognized that unintentional mistakes had been made in its reporting under the Clery Act," the university said today in a prepared statement. The Clery Act is a federal law that requires campus crime information disclosure.
A Department of Education report, released today following an open records request by The J-TAC, states that the university underreported the number of sex offenses, drug law violations and burglaries between 2003 and 2005.
Tarleton's spokeswoman Liza Benedict said the university is appealing the fine.
"We are going to dispute, file and appeal because we feel they [Tarleton officials and police personnel] had incomplete knowledge of the Clery Act," Benedict said.
Any fine Tarleton might eventually be required to pay "will come out of the university's budget, so it will affect the entire campus," Benedict said.
Journalism students first reported the violations in spring 2007. Their stories were based on record obtained from Tarleton State University with help from the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas' Light of Day Project.
Tarleton's "failure to distribute accurate and complete crime statistics resulted in incorrect information being given to Tarleton's current and prospective students, employees, and the public," an education official wrote to Tarleton's new President F. Dominic Dottavio. "Tarleton did not provide its students, employees, and potential students and employees and the public with an accurate picture of crime at Tarleton."
The violations took place before Dottavio was named president in 2008.
For more information, see this week's edition of The J-TAC.
The fine is believed to be the first levied against a university in Texas.
"Tarleton recognized that unintentional mistakes had been made in its reporting under the Clery Act," the university said today in a prepared statement. The Clery Act is a federal law that requires campus crime information disclosure.
A Department of Education report, released today following an open records request by The J-TAC, states that the university underreported the number of sex offenses, drug law violations and burglaries between 2003 and 2005.
Tarleton's spokeswoman Liza Benedict said the university is appealing the fine.
"We are going to dispute, file and appeal because we feel they [Tarleton officials and police personnel] had incomplete knowledge of the Clery Act," Benedict said.
Any fine Tarleton might eventually be required to pay "will come out of the university's budget, so it will affect the entire campus," Benedict said.
Journalism students first reported the violations in spring 2007. Their stories were based on record obtained from Tarleton State University with help from the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas' Light of Day Project.
Tarleton's "failure to distribute accurate and complete crime statistics resulted in incorrect information being given to Tarleton's current and prospective students, employees, and the public," an education official wrote to Tarleton's new President F. Dominic Dottavio. "Tarleton did not provide its students, employees, and potential students and employees and the public with an accurate picture of crime at Tarleton."
The violations took place before Dottavio was named president in 2008.
For more information, see this week's edition of The J-TAC.
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