July 9, 2008
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Joe Sestak (PA – 07) has introduced a resolution, H. Res. 1288, expressing Congressional support for the designation of September as National Campus Safety Awareness Month (NCSAM). Each year since 2005 hundreds of colleges and universities across the country have observed NCSAM and offered a broad array of campus safety awareness resources to their students. — “We are more aware now than ever about the importance of keeping our nation’s college students safe,” said Congressman Sestak. “National Campus Safety Awareness Month which comes at the beginning of the new school year, offers a perfect opportunity to provide students with critical awareness that they need to help stay safe on campus. Campuses, like any other community, have to deal with crime and this awareness better equips every member of the community to protect themselves and prevent crime.”
Currently, in accordance with the federal Jeanne Clery Act, the nation’s colleges and universities are required to publish and distribute an Annual Campus Security Report, maintain a public log of all crimes reported to them, and provide warnings of crimes that represent a threat to the security of students and employees. From these reports, it has been revealed that 37 homicides, 8,114 forcible-sex offenses, 8,923 aggravated assaults, and 3,071 cases of arson occurred on campus from 2004 to 2006. Additionally, between one fifth and one quarter of female undergraduates will be the victim of a completed or attempted rape, usually by someone they know, during their college careers but fewer than five percent are reported to the police according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
“In recent years, we have witnessed incidences- like the tragedy at Virginia Tech- which compel us to take action. This legislation takes a critical step toward directing focus on the needs of our nation’s high schools and colleges to provide adequate safety to their students and staff,” noted Congressman Sestak.
Following introduction of the bill, Congressman Sestak also acknowledged the national non-profit organization Security On Campus, Inc. (SOC) which is based in King of Prussia, Pa, and works to prevent violence, substance abuse and other crimes in college and university campus communities across the United States, and to compassionately assist the victims of these crimes. The organization was founded by the parents of 19 year old college freshman Jeanne Clery- the namesake of the Clery Act- who was raped and murdered while asleep in her residence hall room on April 5, 1986.
“In coordination with organizations like Security On Campus and legislation like the National Campus Safety Awareness Month, our nation’s schools can reiterate the importance of safety and ensure that students, among others, who become victims of crime, are cared for,” said Congressman Sestak.
Born and raised in Delaware County, former 3-star Admiral Joe Sestak served in the Navy for 31 years and now serves as the Representative from the 7th District of Pennsylvania. He led a series of operational commands at sea, including Commander of an aircraft carrier battle group of 30 U.S. and allied ships with over 15,000 sailors and 100 aircraft that conducted operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. After 9/11, Joe was the first Director of "Deep Blue," the Navy's anti-terrorism unit that established strategic and operations policies for the "Global War on Terrorism." He served as President Clinton's Director for Defense Policy at the National Security Council in the White House, and holds a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University. According to the office of the House Historian, Joe is the highest-ranking former military officer ever elected to the Congress.
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