• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Berks Colleges in Compliance With Laws, Officials Say

Posted on: Monday, 16 January 2006, 12:00 CST

By Reading Eagle, Pa.

Jan. 16--Officials at Berks County colleges said Sunday that they are in compliance with federal laws requiring schools to report crime on or near their campuses.

"We are very much in compliance," said Dr. Phillip Breeze, spokesman for Kutztown University. "We go to great lengths to report. ... Kutztown is very careful, very diligent."

Although a Justice Department study released last month said two-thirds of colleges underreport crimes on campus, officials at local colleges said that never has been a problem in Berks.

Breeze said KU documents every crime report it receives, even if the report proves not to be reliable.

Officials at Alvernia College said they also treat the crime data seriously.

"I have no doubt about the authenticity and the reliability of the data that we report," said Timothy L. Kershner, spokesman for Alvernia College. "We stand behind the reliability of that kind of data."

Kershner said underreporting crime on campus does a disservice to prospective students, who use the data as a factor in their college decisions.

"For some students this is something that they really rely on to make a key decision," he said.

Barbara J. Marshall, spokeswoman for Albright College, said fines for underreporting crime data are hefty.

"We are committed to reporting accurately," she said. "There are severe penalties for not reporting accurate data, and so we do our absolute best to report accurate figures in all cases."

Spencer Chambers, spokesman for Penn State Berks, also said underreporting never has been a problem on the local campus.

Officials at Reading Area Community College could not be reached for comment.

-----

Copyright (c) 2006, Reading Eagle, Pa.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: Reading Eagle

More News in this Category