Cleary Act Information

The Federal Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 - Right-To-Know Act

The safety and security of students, faculty, staff, and visitors is of primary concern to St. John Fisher College. The Safety and Security Department is fully committed to compliance with the Federal Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990.

Campus Sexual Assault Program

St. John Fisher College fully supports and enforces all local laws governing rape and sexual assault. It is the responsibility of all members of the College community to be aware of and adhere to these laws. The college provides educational programs and information on rape and sexual assault awareness and prevention. For the future safety of the victim and the college community, sex offenses should be reported immediately. Even if you decide not to report the sexual assault, it is important to get medical help as soon as possible.

Important Steps to Take:

• Get help! Tell the first person you meet that you need help.
• Call Safety and Security to report the incident. Security personnel must contact the police.
• Support is available through the Counseling Center.
• Ask someone to accompany you to the hospital.
• Do not destroy clothes, douche or bath. This will destroy evidence.

In the event of a sexual assault, it is strongly recommended that a formal report is made to a College official. When a formal report is made, the College will complete an appropriate investigation to determine if referral to law enforcement and/or the Student Conduct Process should occur. Additionally, the College will assist the alleged victim in reporting the incident to outside law enforcement officials if he/she chooses to pursue a criminal complaint. St. John Fisher College fully supports all local, state, and federal laws prohibiting rape and sexual assault and will cooperate with law enforcement officials who are investigations such allegations to the fullest extent allowed under the law.

The College will make every effort to provide appropriate medical and mental health support to persons who inform the college they have been sexually assaulted. Support may also include changes in academic, work, and/or living situations if reasonable alternatives exist, following a formal report of an alleged incident.

In keeping with New York State Law, incidents involving violent felony offenses reported to the College are automatically reported to local law enforcement authorities, except in those instances in which the report is made only to a campus minister in Campus Ministry or to a mental health counselor or health care provider in the Wellness Center.

The Wetterling Act

The Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act set the requirements for sexual offender registration and community notification. The Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act of 2000 provides for the tracking of convicted sex offenders, already required to register in a State, to provide notice of each institution of higher education in the State at which that person is employed, carries on a vocation, or is a student. This registration is to be made available to law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction where the institutions of higher education are located. Institutions of higher education are required to issue a statement advising the campus community where law enforcement agency information provided by the State concerning registered sex offenders, may be obtained.

Persons seeking to obtain sex offender registration information may contact the Monroe county Sheriff’s Office at the following web site address: http://monroecountysheriff.info (click on the Neighborhoods link and choose sex offenders).

You may obtain information on high level risk (level 3) registered sex offenders by visiting the New York Department of Criminal Justices’ Sex Offender Registry at the following web site: http://criminaljustice.state.ny.us/nsor. For more information, you can contact the NY DCJS Sex Offender Registry at (518) 457-6236.

Bias Related Crime

Bias related crime is a serious matter and bias related misconduct is a violation of St. John Fisher College policy. Both state and federal laws specially define hate crimes.

New York State's Hate Crimes Act of 2000 (Penal Law, Section 485) significantly increases the criminal penalties for most significant crimes, including criminal mischief, criminal trespass, harassment, stalking, assault, arson, robbery, burglary, stalking, rape, criminal sexual assault, and others, if the crime was also a "hate crime." A "hate crime" occurs where the victim was selected on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, old age, disability or sexual orientation.

Other New York laws define specific crimes with respect to bias. In particular, under the New York Civil Rights Law (Section 40-c) a person or entity that commits the crime of ordinary harassment is guilty of a class A misdemeanor (punishable by up to one year in jail), if the victim was harassed because of his or her race, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation or disability.