Campus Security Measure Debated

In an attempt to increase safety on college campuses, two members of the U.S. Congress introduced a bill into the House of Representatives last week that would require campus police or security forces to disclose more information about crime on or near colleges.

Reps. William R. Goodling (R-Penn.) and Howard M. McKeon (R-Calif.) introduced House Resolution 2416 last Thursday, a bill which would expand the "Student Right to Know and Campus Security Act of 1990" to force campus police forces to keep an open log of all crime activity in the area. The bill also calls for the U.S. Department of Education to give top priority to enforcing the act.

The 1990 act calls for campus police departments to compile and release detailed statistics on certain crimes seen as particular threats on college campuses.

"As students arrive on campuses across the United States, many for the first time, they will be caught up in the excitement of meeting other students, settling into their classes and the overall enjoyment of college life," said Goodling in an address on the House floor. "They will give little thought to the possible dangers which exist on college campuses."

Officials in the Clinton Administration, however, have called the bill unnecessary and confusing.

David A. Longanecker, assistant secretary of education for postsecondary education, told a Congressional committee that the new bill makes security regulations more difficult for campuses to follow.

For example, he said that certain crimes that must currently be reported are not enumerated in the new bill, while certain offenses in the new bill are not included in the old.

The inconsistencies are haphazard, rendering the bill itself unnecessary, he said.

"It appears that the bill as drafted would not provide more protection to the campus community than is already available," Longanecker told the Republican-controlled House Economic and Educational Opportunities Committee on June 6.

Goodling responded to Longanecker's testimony when introducing the final version of the bill last week, saying he questions the extent to which the Department of Education has enforced the current act.

"[The] information has been provided to students since September 1, 1992, but too many students continue to fall victim to campus crimes," Goodling said.

But the Department of Education maintains that it would be preferable to work within the current law, spokesperson Jane Glickman said.

The Republican-dominated EEOC and the Democrat-heavy Department of Education have clashed on several occasions earlier this year on issues relating to the appropriate amounts and methods of distribution for federal financial aid

"As students arrive on campuses across the United States, many for the first time, they will be caught up in the excitement of meeting other students, settling into their classes and the overall enjoyment of college life," said Goodling in an address on the House floor. "They will give little thought to the possible dangers which exist on college campuses."

Officials in the Clinton Administration, however, have called the bill unnecessary and confusing.

David A. Longanecker, assistant secretary of education for postsecondary education, told a Congressional committee that the new bill makes security regulations more difficult for campuses to follow.

For example, he said that certain crimes that must currently be reported are not enumerated in the new bill, while certain offenses in the new bill are not included in the old.

The inconsistencies are haphazard, rendering the bill itself unnecessary, he said.

"It appears that the bill as drafted would not provide more protection to the campus community than is already available," Longanecker told the Republican-controlled House Economic and Educational Opportunities Committee on June 6.

Goodling responded to Longanecker's testimony when introducing the final version of the bill last week, saying he questions the extent to which the Department of Education has enforced the current act.

"[The] information has been provided to students since September 1, 1992, but too many students continue to fall victim to campus crimes," Goodling said.

But the Department of Education maintains that it would be preferable to work within the current law, spokesperson Jane Glickman said.

The Republican-dominated EEOC and the Democrat-heavy Department of Education have clashed on several occasions earlier this year on issues relating to the appropriate amounts and methods of distribution for federal financial aid