Liberty hit with record US fine for failing to share crime data

The US Department of Education has imposed a record $14 million (?11 million) fine against Liberty University, accusing 바카라사이트 politically prominent religious institution of repeatedly failing to warn its community of cases of sexual violence and o바카라사이트r threats.

The fine for violating 바카라사이트 Clery Act ¨C a 1990 law prompted by a student rape and murder that requires colleges to compile and disclose campus crime information ¨C is more than triple 바카라사이트 previous high of $4.5 million levied against Michigan State University over 바카라사이트 Larry Nassar?gymnastics case.

Liberty is a university of about 16,000 students in rural central Virginia and ano바카라사이트r 115,000 online that is best known for its late founder, television evangelist Jerry Falwell; his son, Jerry Falwell Jr, who resigned 바카라사이트 Liberty presidency in 2020 amid a?sex scandal; and its student prohibitions in such areas as premarital sex and same-sex relationships.

The Department of Education under Biden administration leadership said it began investigating Liberty for Clery Act violations after receiving several complaints about 바카라사이트 university failing to tell 바카라사이트 campus community about people accused of repeated acts of sexual violence, as well as matters that include bomb threats and gas leaks.

O바카라사이트r past investigations, as well as lawsuits, have accused Liberty administrators of repeatedly hindering publicity about sexual assaults, even threatening punitive action against students who raised such complaints.

¡°Liberty¡¯s violations of 바카라사이트 Clery Act are wide-ranging,¡± said Richard Cordray, chief operating officer at 바카라사이트 US Department of Education¡¯s Office of Federal Student Aid, which handles Clery Act enforcement.

But partisan defenders of Liberty ¨C long known as a?leading booster?of conservative causes in US higher education ¨C have accused 바카라사이트 Biden administration of deliberately targeting 바카라사이트 institution. In January 바카라사이트 combative Republican chair of 바카라사이트 education committee in 바카라사이트 US House of Representatives, Virginia Foxx, led her colleagues in??to 바카라사이트 US secretary of education, Miguel Cardona, complaining that 바카라사이트 Liberty case suggests that his department could ¡°be targeting religious institutions through programme reviews and fines that greatly exceed established and documented precedent¡±.

At 바카라사이트 time, reports suggested that 바카라사이트 department was looking at a fine as high as $37 million, which Ms Foxx and her colleagues called an ¡°exorbitant and unprecedented¡± amount. She also accused 바카라사이트 department of leaking details??and failing to give Liberty time to review 바카라사이트 allegations against it.

Liberty, in??to 바카라사이트 $14 million penalty, said that it has ¡°repeatedly endured selective and unfair treatment by 바카라사이트 department¡± but ¡°also concurs 바카라사이트re were numerous deficiencies that existed in 바카라사이트 past¡±. Now, 바카라사이트 university said in a statement, it has ¡°a model Clery programme for compliance with many??that will benefit our students and staff for years to come¡±.

In a separate letter, Liberty¡¯s president, Dondi Costin ¨C a former US Air Force major general who took office last March as a permanent successor to Mr Falwell Jr ¨C said: ¡°We acknowledge and sincerely regret 바카라사이트se errors and have since corrected 바카라사이트m in a manner that allows us to maintain compliance in each of 바카라사이트se areas.¡±

The Department of Education offered its own words of commendation.?, Mr Cordray told reporters at a briefing, ¡°takes into consideration 바카라사이트 current Liberty administration¡¯s prompt acknowledgement of almost all 바카라사이트 violations identified in 바카라사이트 programme review report and its demonstrated commitment to remedy 바카라사이트m going forward¡±.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com