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Andrew Haller/Bloomberg via Getty Images/File
September 14, 2015, on the campus of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.
CNN
—
The Department of Education has imposed a record $14 million fine on Liberty University, a Christian university in Virginia, for violating campus safety laws, officials announced Tuesday.
The Department of Education announced the largest fine ever for violating the Clery Act, which requires universities to maintain and disclose campus crime statistics and security information.
Liberty University also agreed to spend an additional $2 million over the next two years to improve safety on campus.
The Department of Education launched a review in 2022 after receiving complaints that the university violated the Clery Act. The review was also in response to a 2021 lawsuit in which 12 women claimed the school created an environment that increased the likelihood of sexual assault and rape. The lawsuit was settled in 2022.
A Department of Education review of the Clery Act conducted by the Office of Federal Student Aid identified 11 violations. Failure to timely alert the campus community of reportable crimes. and non-compliance with numerous sexual violence prevention and response requirements.
“The Clery Act requires schools to take steps to create a safe and secure campus community, investigate complaints, and responsibly disclose information about crimes and other safety concerns. We will continue to hold schools accountable when they fail to meet their responsibilities,” Richard Cordray, chief operating officer of Federal Student Aid, said in a statement.
The bill was passed in 1990 after Jeanne Clery was raped and murdered in her Lehigh University dormitory, according to the Clery Center.
In 2019, Michigan State University was fined a then-record $4.5 million under the Clery Act in connection with the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal.
The Department of Education announced Tuesday that Liberty University officials immediately acknowledged the violations outlined in the report and expressed a determination to correct them.
Liberty University said in a statement that it agrees with the Department of Education’s view that “there have been numerous past compliance violations.”
“We recognized and sincerely regret these errors and have since corrected them in a manner that allows us to remain compliant in each of these areas,” the company said.
However, Liberty University disputed the Department of Education’s research methodology, adding that “many of the methodologies, findings, and calculations described in the report differed significantly from other universities’ historical treatments.” .
“Liberty disagrees with this approach and asserts that it has repeatedly endured selective and unfair treatment by the Department.”
Liberty University was founded in 1971 by the late televangelist Jerry Falwell, who wanted to establish a Christian university for evangelical believers. His son, Jerry Falwell Jr., resigned as university president in 2020, a day after reports that he and his wife had a sexual relationship with a former hotel pool attendant.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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