BUFFALO, NY-- An audit from the State Comptroller's office reveals some issues about crime reporting at Niagara County Community College and Genesee Community College.
The comptroller says NCCC wrongly classifies all on-campus housing crimes as happening off-campus.
The Education department says NCCC needs to change, so that students can have a better idea of safety issues when they're choosing colleges.
Niagara Community College issued this response to the comptroller's office regarding the audit:
"…A written directive, dated October 17, 2014, was received from the Department of Education stating NCCC's housing should be categorized as 'on campus housing.' That stated, on page three of the draft Community College Safety Report, there is a paragraph that reads: 'Because the colleges have not complied with the Clery Act requirements, current and prospective students and employees may not have the information they need to make informed enrollment or employment decisions to ensure their safety.'We believe that minor technical compliance issues with Clery does not mean that our campus is not safe…".
The audit also found Genesee Community College overreported three student housing drug arrests and one housing weapons violation, and underreported eight drug related disciplinary actions. They also did not report an aggravated assault and a burglary.
Genesee Community College submitted this response to the comptroller's office regarding the audit: " …We can assure you that the recommendations suggested in this audit have been or will be fully implemented so as to be fully in compliance with the Clery Act… Going forward the College will utilize both the Handbook of Campus Crime reporting issued by the Department of Education in 2011 and the Clery Compliance checklist developed by SUNY to ensure that all policy and procedure statements required by the Clery Act are contained in the College's ASR in a comprehensive manner…"
