Campus Security Authority

CSAs are broadly defined as individuals who have significant responsibility for student and campus activities. 

Some Examples of CSAs include but are not limited to:

• All sworn members of the ASU PD.
• All academic deans, associate deans, and assistant deans.
• All deans and directors, associate deans and directors, and assistant deans and directors in the following areas Housing and Residence Life, Office of Student Engagement, Office of Student Support and Student Conduct and the Office of the Dean of Students.
• The Title IX Coordinator and Assistant Title IX Coordinator.
• Campus victim-survivor advocates.
• The vice president, associate vice president, executive directors, and assistant director of the organizational area of Institute Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
• All directors and associate directors of the organizational area of the Student Center.
• All directors, associate directors, and all head coaches in the Athletics Department.
• All advisors to student clubs and organizations.
  
  

Examples of individuals who would not meet the criteria for a CSA include:

• Professional and Pastoral Counselors
• Clerical or cafeteria staff.
• Faculty member who does not have any responsibility for student and campus activity beyond the classroom.

Clery Act Crimes include:

• Murder/Non-negligent Manslaughter
• Negligent Manslaughter
• Rape
• Fondling
• Incest
• Statutory Rape
• Robbery
• Aggravated Assault
• Burglary
• Motor Vehicle Theft
• Arson
• Destruction of Property/Vandalism (only if hate crime)
• Intimidation (only if hate crime)
• Larceny/Theft (only if hate crime)
• Simple Assault (only if hate crime)
  
  

Hate Crime:

A hate crime is not a separate, distinct crime, but is the commission of a criminal offense which was motivated by the offender’s bias. If the facts of the case indicate that the offender was motivated to commit the offense because of his/her bias against the victim’s perceived race; gender; gender identity; religion; sexual ori­entation; ethnicity; national origin or disability, the crime is classified as a hate crime. 

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Crimes: 

• Domestic Violence: Violence committed by a person who is a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim, is Cohabiting, or has Cohabitated, with the victim or shares a child in common with the victim.
  
  
• Dating Violence: Violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim.
  
  
• Stalking: Engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for his or her safety or the safety of others; or suffer substantial emotional distress.
  
  

Referrals for Disciplinary Action for the following crimes:

• Weapon Law Violations: The violation of laws or ordinances dealing with weapon offenses, regulatory in nature, such as: manufacture, sale, or possession of deadly weapons; carrying deadly weapons, concealed or openly; furnishing deadly weapons to minors; aliens possessing deadly weapons; all attempts to commit any of the aforementioned.

• Drug Abuse Violations: Violations of state and local laws relating to the unlawful possession, sale, use, growing, manufacturing, and making of narcotic drugs. The relevant substances include: opium or cocaine and their derivatives (morphine, heroin, codeine); marijuana; synthetic narcotics (Demerol, methadone); and dangerous non-narcotic drugs (barbiturates, Benzedrine).

• Liquor Law Violations: The violation of laws or ordinance prohibiting: the manufacture, sale, transporting, furnishing, possessing of intoxicating liquor; maintaining unlawful drinking places; bootlegging; operating a still; furnishing liquor to minor or intemperate person; using a vehicle for illegal transportation of liquor; drinking on a train or public conveyance; all attempts to commit any of the aforementioned. (Drunkenness and driving under the influence are not included in this definition).

Under the Clery Act, crimes are considered reported when they are brought to the attention of a Campus Security Authority (CSA) or local law enforcement agency.

For CSAs, crimes are considered reported when they receive information about qualifying crimes from victims, witnesses, or other individuals with knowledge of the incident. CSAs must then document the details of the crime and report it to the Albany State University Police Department in a timely manner, generally within 24 hours of becoming aware of the incident.

Clery Geography is the geographic area for which Albany State University is responsible for disclosing crime statistics. The following areas describe Albany State University’s Clery Geography:

• On-Campus Residential: Inside residential halls.
  
• On-Campus: Everywhere else on campus.
  
• Non-Campus: Buildings or property owned and/or controlled by Albany State University that is used in direct support of/in relation to educational purposes, is frequently used by students and is not within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area of the university.
  
• Public Property: Property that is within, or immediately adjacent to, and accessible from the campus.
  
  

Please note: The term "off campus" typically evokes thoughts of private residences, apartments, houses, shopping centers, or bars. In the absence of a formal agreement for control between the institution and such spaces, these locations usually do not fall within the established Clery Geography categories. Consequently, incidents occurring in these places would not contribute to Clery crime statistics.

However, an important distinction exists in the form of the "non-campus” geography category. Non-campus geography pertains to buildings or property owned or controlled by the institution that are not reasonably contiguous to an on-campus buildings or property, yet still frequently used by students and used for educational purposes. Institutions have discretion in determining the distance they consider to be reasonably contiguous and are expected to apply that determination consistently across similar situations. This geography also includes property owned or controlled by student organizations officially recognized by the institution, such as Greek life or athletic teams. Albany State University has no officially recognized non-campus student organizations or student housing facilities. 

The inclusion of non-law enforcement personnel in the Campus Security Authority (CSA) role acknowledges the reality that some individuals, particularly students, may feel reluctant to report crimes, especially sensitive or personal ones such as sexual violence, to the police directly. 

This approach recognizes the importance of creating a supportive and accessible reporting environment where individuals feel empowered to come forward with information about crimes or safety concerns without fear of judgment, stigma, or retaliation. CSAs can serve as trusted points of contact for individuals who may prefer to report incidents to someone within the campus community rather than directly to law enforcement.

Ultimately, the inclusion of non-law enforcement personnel helps facilitate a more inclusive and supportive reporting process, promotes trust and transparency within the campus community, and ensures that all individuals have access to the resources and support they need to address safety issues effectively.