The U.S. Department of Education will launch a formal review of Brown, investigating the University’s security and emergency notification systems, according to a press release from the Education Department. This investigation follows the mass shooting that killed two students on Dec. 13.

The investigation, which will be conducted by the Education Department’s Office of Federal Student Aid, will look into potential violations of the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act, a section that was added in 1990 to the 1965 Higher Education Act. The Clery Act stipulates that higher education institutions must “meet certain campus safety and security-related requirements as a condition of receiving federal student aid,” according to the press release.

If Brown is found in violation, the Education Department can issue fines — which can reach up to $71,545 per violation — and require the University to enact policy change.

The press release notes Brown’s potential violations of the act, alleging that the University’s surveillance systems “may not have been up to appropriate standards” and that Brown community members reported delayed emergency alerts. 

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“If true, these shortcomings constitute serious breaches of Brown’s responsibilities under federal law,” the release read.

“I do not think a lack of cameras in (Barus and Holley) had anything to do with what happened there,” President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 said at a press conference last Thursday.

“Students deserve to feel safe at school, and every university across this nation must protect their students and be equipped with adequate resources to aid law enforcement,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon wrote in the release. “The Trump Administration will fight to ensure that recipients of federal funding are vigorously protecting students’ safety and following security procedures as required under federal law.”

As part of the review, the University must submit records to the federal government by Jan. 30. These records include a list of Timely Warnings and Emergency Notifications issued by the University with explanations dating back to 2021; all crime, dispatch, call and activity logs dating back to 2021; and copies of emergency response policies and procedures.

Last Wednesday, the University said that it will “begin a large-scale systematic security review of the entire campus,” according to an email sent by University Spokesperson Brian Clark to The Herald and other news organizations.

The University has been notified of the Education Department’s review, Clark wrote in an email to The Herald on Monday. He pointed to the three actions announced by Paxson in a Monday email to the Brown community, “separate from the Clery review.” 

These actions include the continued rapid response enhancement of safety and security measures on campus, an after-action review of the Dec. 13 shooting and a campus safety and security assessment. 

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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Ian Ritter

Ian Ritter is a university news and science & research editor, covering graduate schools and students. He is a junior concentrating in chemistry. When he isn’t at The Herald or exploding lab experiments, you can find him playing the clarinet or watching the Mets.