[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 139 (Wednesday, September 30, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H10084-H10085]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1115
           SUPPORTING NATIONAL CAMPUS SAFETY AWARENESS MONTH

  Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 90) supporting the goals and ideals of National 
Campus Safety Awareness Month.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                               H. Res. 90

       Whereas college and university campuses are not immune from 
     the crime problems that face the rest of society in the 
     United States;
       Whereas a total of 37 homicides, 8,112 forcible-sex 
     offenses, 8,923 aggravated assaults, and 3,071 cases of arson 
     were reported on college and university campuses from 2004 to 
     2006, in accordance with the reporting requirements under the 
     Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus 
     Crime Statistics Act (20 U.S.C. 1092(f); Public Law 89-329);
       Whereas criminal experts estimate that between \1/5\ and 
     \1/4\ of female students become the victim of a completed or 
     attempted rape, usually by someone they know, during their 
     college careers, but fewer than 5 percent report the assault 
     to law enforcement;
       Whereas each year, 13 percent of female students enrolled 
     in an undergraduate program at a college or university will 
     be victims of stalking;
       Whereas 1,700 college and university students between the 
     ages of 18 and 24 die each year from unintentional alcohol-
     related injuries, including motor vehicle accidents;
       Whereas Security On Campus, Inc. (hereinafter referred to 
     as ``SOC''), a national nonprofit group dedicated to 
     promoting safety and security on college and university 
     campuses, has designated September as National Campus Safety 
     Awareness Month;
       Whereas each September since 2005, SOC has partnered with 
     colleges and universities across the United States to offer 
     National Campus Safety Awareness Month educational 
     programming on sexual assault, alcohol and other drug abuse, 
     hazing, stalking, and other critical campus safety issues; 
     and
       Whereas National Campus Safety Awareness Month provides an 
     opportunity for entire campus communities to become engaged 
     in efforts to improve campus safety: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Campus Safety 
     Awareness Month; and
       (2) encourages colleges and universities throughout the 
     United States to provide campus safety and other crime 
     awareness and prevention programs to all students throughout 
     the year.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Chu) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which 
Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on House 
Resolution 90 into the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. CHU. I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I 
rise today in support of House Resolution 90, which recognizes the 
importance of safety on college campuses and promotes the idea of 
National Campus Safety.
  As a community college professor for 20 years and the author of a 
California bill, the Campus Sexual Assault Safety Act, I understand 
firsthand how vital campus safety is to enhancing the learning 
experiences of its students, but more importantly, how raising 
awareness can serve to prevent campus violence.
  We have witnessed this in several tragic cases, for instance, in the 
case of the death of Jeanne Clery in the late 1980s, who was a freshman 
at Lehigh University. On April 5, 1986, Jeanne was beaten, raped and 
murdered in her dormitory room. Jeanne's case brought college campus 
safety to the forefront when it exposed flaws in the reporting of crime 
information related to violence on colleges campuses.
  At that time, both violent and nonviolent incidents were reported to 
campus authorities, but administrators had no legal obligation to 
disclose violent college crimes to the public. In the aftermath of 
Jeanne's murder, her parents, Connie and Howard Clery, founded Security 
on Campus, Inc., to end violence on all college campuses.
  It is a nonprofit, grass-roots organization dedicated to making 
campuses safe. Partnering with over 150 colleges from 42 States, 
Security on Campus, Inc., offers educational programs on sexual 
assault, alcohol and drugs. Over the past few years, we have seen how 
important it is to pay attention to our students' safety on campus. It 
is unfortunate that it takes tragic events like those occurring at 
Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois for us to remember that crimes take 
place on college campuses all over the country.
  More recently, Annie Le, a Yale University graduate student was 
allegedly murdered and found dead on campus the day she planned to 
marry her college sweetheart. The reauthorization of the Higher 
Education Act last year took new action to improve campus safety. It 
required each educational institution to clearly articulate a method to 
disseminate emergency notifications to the entire campus body in the 
case of an emergency. The law also includes measures to ensure that 
campus preparedness employees coordinate with local law enforcement and 
emergency management authorities to improve responses to campus 
emergencies.
  Campus safety is relevant, important and necessary. Anyone can become 
a victim of a campus crime, and it is imperative that students are 
taught how to avoid dangerous situations. Congress must continue to 
encourage institutions to update their campus security plans and ensure 
systems are in place to deal with all types of emergencies. As we 
commemorate National Campus Safety Awareness Month in September, let us 
focus our efforts on educating our students about campus safety. 
Students need to be reminded every year about practical precautions to 
increase their safety.
  Mr. Speaker, once again, I express my support for National Campus 
Safety Awareness Month and thank Representative Sestak for bringing 
this resolution forward. I urge my colleagues to support this 
resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I 
may consume.
  I rise in support of House Resolution 90, a resolution supporting the 
goals and ideals of National Campus Safety Month. I would like to thank 
my colleague, Representative Sestak, for introducing this important 
resolution recognizing the importance of safety on college campuses and 
the efforts of outside organizations to dedicate September to promoting 
greater public awareness of campus safety issues.
  Unfortunately, over the past few years, we have seen how important it 
is to pay attention to our students' safety on campus. Sadly, college 
campuses are faced with the same crimes that plague many of our 
country's cities. Whether it be situations involving one individual, 
like the tragic murder of Annie Le at Yale University, or situations 
that involve the whole campus, like what occurred several years ago at 
Virginia Tech, colleges should continue to take steps to make sure the 
campus community is aware of activities on campus. A more informed 
population is often a safer population.
  To that end, Congress took several steps in the Higher Education 
Opportunity Act last year to encourage institutions to update their 
campus security plans and ensure that they have steps in place to deal 
with all different types of emergencies.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution is especially timely this week as 
millions of students have left their homes and begun their fall 
semesters at colleges around the country. And I am pleased to support 
this resolution and urge my colleagues to do the same. And just as a 
sidebar--this didn't occur on a college campus--but one of the most 
distressing things that I have seen in my recent memory was the death 
of this young honor student in Chicago. And I think this just goes to 
safety on all campuses. I pray for that family and for that city with 
this terrible tragedy.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania, the sponsor of this resolution, Mr. Sestak, for 4 
minutes.
  Mr. SESTAK. Mr. Speaker, this month students will return to their

[[Page H10085]]

colleges and universities with the anticipation that surrounds a new 
academic year. And yet we are reminded that these young people will not 
be immune from unique challenges that face all of us in every community 
throughout this Nation. The tragic shootings of two students last 
October at the University of Central Arkansas, the shootings at 
Virginia Tech which ended in the death of 32 people, and the shootings 
at Northern Illinois University, where 24 people were shot and six 
died, emphasize the importance of the issue of campus safety.
  The Department of Education has found that between 2005 and 2007 
there were not only 10,000 forcible sex offenses, 16,000 aggravated 
assaults, and 3,000 cases of arson, but also 117 homicides on the 
campuses of colleges and universities throughout this country. Between 
one-fifth and one-fourth of female students will become the victims of 
a completed or an attempted rape, usually by someone they know during 
their undergraduate careers, and yet less than 5 percent of the cases 
are ever reported.
  Additionally, the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and 
Alcoholism has found that each year there are over 1,700 college 
students between the ages of 18 and 24 who will die from unintentional 
alcohol-related injuries, including motor vehicle accidents. As we 
reflect on the significance of this data, we come to understand why 
this resolution is so important. Originally introduced by a colleague 
on the other side of this aisle in 2005, this resolution builds on the 
work of a nonprofit organization, Security on Campus, which is located 
in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, in my district.
  The organization was founded by the parents of a 19-year-old college 
freshman, Jeanne Clery, who was raped and killed in her college dorm in 
1986. In 2008, thanks to the work of this organization, 350 colleges 
came together from 42 States and the city of Washington, D.C. to 
participate in programs on campus safety. Although this resolution is 
far from the final step to guarantee security on the campuses of our 
Nation's colleges and universities, it is an important step, along with 
establishing a National Center for Campus Public Safety towards 
addressing an issue that we all care about, the security of our 
children.
  I urge all my colleagues to show their concern for the safety of the 
more than 15 million students throughout the country who are the true 
motivation behind this great resolution. And I appreciate all of the 
support and the ideas from the other side. I encourage my colleagues, 
throughout this great House, to support this resolution.
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. I yield back the balance of my time. I thank my 
colleagues on the other side of the aisle for this resolution.
  Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Scott) for 3 minutes.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlelady from 
California (Ms. Chu) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Sestak) 
for their leadership on the issue of campus safety.
  I rise in support of H. Res. 90, a resolution supporting the goals 
and ideals of the National Campus Safety Awareness Month. This 
resolution helps bring awareness to the issue of campus safety. Each 
year, college campuses across the Nation see a number of criminal 
offenses, including homicide, forcible sex offenses, aggravated 
assaults and arson occurring on their campuses. A recent example is the 
unfortunate murder that occurred at Yale University just a few weeks 
ago.
  Additionally, over the past few years we have seen numerous tragedies 
occur at colleges and universities, including the disastrous events 
that occurred at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University. 
National Campus Safety Awareness Month provides an opportunity for 
campuses to evaluate their campus safety practices and engage in 
efforts to improve campus safety.
  In addition to Campus Safety Awareness Month, one way in which we can 
improve campus safety would be to provide a one-stop shop for 
universities to obtain safety information. This is why I introduced the 
Center to Advance, Monitor and Preserve University Security, or the 
CAMPUS, Safety Act of 2009.
  The purpose of this legislation is to enable our institutions of 
higher education to easily obtain the best information available on how 
to keep our campuses safe and how to respond in the event of a campus 
emergency. The CAMPUS Safety Act creates a National Center for Campus 
Public Safety, which will be administered through the Department of 
Justice. The center is designed to train campus public safety agencies 
in state-of-the-art practices to ensure campus safety, encourage 
research to strengthen college campus safety and security, and serve as 
a clearinghouse for the dissemination of relevant campus public safety 
information.
  This bill passed the House of Representatives in February. It also 
passed last year, but it still awaits action from the Senate. Once the 
National Center for Campus Public Safety is established it, along with 
events like the National Campus Awareness Month, will be able to 
greatly assist schools in assessing their campus safety initiatives.
  I commend the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Sestak) for 
introducing this resolution to bring awareness to this issue and urge 
my colleagues to support this important resolution.
  Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the remainder of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 90.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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