On October 1st, 2024, Union’s Campus Safety department released their annual campus safety report. The report contains data on campus safety, security, and fire logs from 2021, 2022, and 2023. The Concordiensis has summarized the most relevant findings in the 86 page report. The purpose of the report is to inform the campus community about crimes committed on and around campus in accordance with the Clery Act.
“You will note the College’s safety record is exceptionally good. It is an example of what can be accomplished when a community is committed to working together with a common purpose,” Thomas Constantine, the Director of Campus Safety, notes in the opening of the report. “The Union College Campus Safety department has been proactive in promoting safety and the prevention of crime.”
The report discusses options for students to report crimes and how the department handles reports. “Campus Safety can be reached at campus extension 6911 from any campus phone line or from an outside line at 518-388-6911. Public law enforcement assistance can be reached at 911 from an outside campus line for emergencies and the Schenectady Police Department can be reached at 518-630-0911 for non-emergencies,” according to page 16 of the report. There are also faculty and staff members who are mandated to report crimes. “Any official of the College who has significant responsibility for student and campus activities is considered a Campus Security Authority (CSA) and must report all offenses.” Students can learn details about which staff members are mandated to report on page 17 of the report.
The college also has law enforcement jurisdiction agreements with local emergency service departments. “This includes the Schenectady Police Department, Schenectady County Sheriffs… and the Schenectady Fire Department. The College has a written Memorandum of Understanding with the Schenectady Police Department that outlines proper response and investigation of alleged serious crimes.” General guidelines for how the college handles reports can be found on page 18 of the report.
“An additional Memorandum of Agreement is in place that focuses an extra patrol surrounding the College’s main campus and adjacent city streets during weekend late evening to early night hours. This includes monitoring the premises of officially recognized student organizations located off campus.” Students host and attend off-campus house parties hosted on the weekends, and the Schenectady police department frequently shuts them down.
Pages 69 to 71 of the report contain data on crimes committed on and around campus from 2021 to 2023. Notably, the most common crime recorded was liquor law violations. In 2023, 60 of these cases were reported on campus, with 56 taking place in residence halls. Individuals in these instances were referred for disciplinary action. The department also recorded 16 golf cart and 2 motor vehicle thefts in 2023.
The college also reported 2 cases of rape, 2 cases of dating violence, and 6 cases of stalking on campus. Six out of 10 of these cases occurred in campus residence halls. There were also 14 reported instances of domestic violence, but these were reported in public properties and not college owned facilities. It is important to note that these are the cases reported, and it is likely that there have been more cases that are unreported.
The report was emailed to the campus community on October 1st and is accessible from the college’s website. Students can contact campus safety at [email protected] with questions or concerns, and call the department to report crimes.
