Page 22 - Campus Security & Life Safety, January/February 2019

clery act
"Being informed on the latest Clery Act regulations will streamline the relationship between contractors and
Einstitutions."
very environment poses its own challenges for organizational lead- ers and their contractors to ensure safety and security. Educational institutions in particular can be dif-
ficult for contractors to navigate. The various rules and legal restrictions must be worked into project planning and execution. As a third-party entity, colleges and universities must ensure contractors are reputable and trustworthy, and do not pose a threat to stu- dents or faculty. The Clery Act is an impor- tant piece of legislation for all colleges and universities to abide by to ensure the safety of students, staff and visitors.
Established in 1990, the Clery mandates that all colleges and universities receiving fed- eral funding must share information about crime incidents on campus and report their efforts to improve campus safety. In addition, the institutions must inform the public of crime in or around campus through an annu- al security report which is due on October 1 of every year. If the institutions fail to report the necessary statistics, they are fined and their federal funding can be withheld.
Impact on Contractor Clearance
Just as the Clery Act increased expectations for colleges and universities, it also added guidelines and restrictions for contractors employed by those institutions. When an institution hires a contractor or third-party to conduct work on campus, they assume responsibility for how that individual acts and behaves. Thus, educational institutions must have comprehensive security and safety poli- cies in place to mitigate potential misbehavior and ensure all third-party contractors remain compliant and in ordinance with school regu- lations. Before any work begins on campus, educational institutions should be proactive about providing contractors with compliance
By Julie Brown
The Benefits and
Challenges of
22 campuslifesecurity.com | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019
Clery Act Compliance
for Contractors
Educational institutions can be difficult for contractors to navigate
resources that clearly outline what is and is not permitted on school premises.
Similarly, contractors must conduct thor- ough background checks on their employees before they can be admitted on site. This ensures that contractors are trustworthy and there are no red flags on their record that pose a risk to students or faculty. Additionally, these employees must complete child protection forms and adhere to related policies. In some cases, escorts are required to bring contractors across the campus, into the dorms or other sensitive facilities requiring maintenance.
Before the Clery Act, an employee could walk on campus without officials from the school knowing anything about the person’s history or possible public record. Now, many higher education institutions utilize pre- approved contractor lists to increase worker background visibility. This helps reduce risks and more accurately account for all parties involved. It also simplifies insurance pro- cesses as pre-approved contractors’ insur- ance coverage is already verified within the college or university’s system.
Impact on Contractor Accessibility
One of the ways in which higher education institutions ensure compliance with the Clery Act is by implementing advanced safety and security technology on campus. Colleges and universities aiming to lower their crime statis- tics often seek access control and visitor man-
agement technologies, to help protect against break-ins and unauthorized visitors.
Access control can regulate who is permit- ted to enter specific buildings on campus such as dormitories, sporting facilities and librar- ies. It can also be integrated into main entrance points throughout the perimeter of a campus as this must be considered the first layer of defense. To deter unwanted intruders from entering a campus, access control strengthens perimeter security and helps to regulate the flow of people and vehicles that enter and exit a campus. As a result, contrac- tors and faculty need to be entered into the management system to obtain badges for both campus and building access. Furthermore, it’s also important to evaluate what buildings and facilities a contractor can enter. For example, granting access to lecture halls or sporting facilities, but not dormitories.
Once permitted on campus, advanced visitor management solutions let you track visitors and monitor where they are within the school premise. Beyond authorized entry, badges or barcodes can track usage statistics by specific visitors, and provide documentation of visitor locations within a facility. This allows property managers and security personnel to know who is on cam- pus, and when and where they are at any given time. Businesses can collect and easily recall real-time accurate data of current and pending authorized visitors and track visitor