Security awareness and crime prevention programs

The purpose of this policy is to promote security awareness and to comply with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, and applicable implementing regulations, which require each institution of higher education to establish security awareness and crime prevention programs and to make annual disclosures regarding these programs.

It is the policy of Lynn University to comply with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 and applicable implementing regulations by conducting programs throughout the year to inform the campus community about the university’s (i) security awareness practices; (ii) crime prevention practices on campus; and (iii) sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking primary and ongoing prevention and awareness programs. The components of university’s educational programs are summarized below, with more specific information published annually in the university’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.

Awareness programs—community-wide or audience specific programming, initiatives, and strategies that increase audience knowledge and share information and resources to prevent violence, promote safety, and reduce perpetration.

Primary prevention programs—programming, initiatives, and strategies informed by research or assessed for value, effectiveness, or outcome that are intended to stop dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking before they occur through the promotion of positive and healthy behaviors that foster healthy, mutually respectful relationships and sexuality, encourage safe bystander intervention, and seek to change behavior and social norms in healthy and safe direction.

Ongoing prevention & awareness campaigns—programming, initiatives, and strategies that are sustained over time and focus on increasing understanding of topics relevant to and skills for addressing dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, using a range of strategies with audiences throughout the institution.

Bystander intervention—means safe and positive options that may be carried out by an individual or individuals to prevent harm or intervene when there is a risk of dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking.

Sexual assault—physical sexual acts perpetrated against a person’s will or where a person is incapable of giving consent due to the victim’s use of drugs or alcohol or other incapacity, such as being a minor or having an intellectual or other disability. This includes the following:

Sex offenses-forcible —Any sexual act directed against another person, forcibly and/or against that person’s will; or not forcibly or against the person's will where the victim is incapable of giving consent.

Forcible rape—the carnal knowledge of a person, forcibly and/or against that person’s will; or not forcibly or against the person’s will where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity (or because of his/her youth).

Forcible sodomy - oral or anal sexual intercourse with another person, forcibly and/or against that person's will; or not forcibly against the person's will where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her youth or because of his/her temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity.

Sexual assault with an object - the use of an object or instrument to unlawfully penetrate, however slightly, the genital or anal opening of the body of another person, forcibly and/or against that person’s will; or not forcibly or against the person’s will where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her youth or because of his/her temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity.

Forcible fondling - the touching of the private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification, forcibly and/or against that person’s will; or, not forcibly or against the person’s will where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her youth or because of his/her temporary or permanent mental incapacity.

Sex offenses-nonforcible -unlawful, nonforcible sexual intercourse.

Incest - nonforcible sexual intercourse between persons who are related to each other within the degrees wherein marriage is prohibited by law.

Statutory rape - nonforcible sexual intercourse with a person who is under the statutory age of consent.

Note: the above definitions will be utilized in determining whether an incident of Sexual Assault in violation of the University’s Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct Policy by the preponderance of the evidence standard has occurred (and not to determine whether a crime has been committed). The above definitions will also be utilized by the university for Clery Act Reporting purposes.

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. The existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on the reporting party’s statement and with consideration of the length of the relationship, the type of relationship, and the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship. Dating violence includes, but is not limited to, sexual or physical abuse or the threat of such abuse. Dating violence does not include acts covered under the definition of domestic violence.

Domestic violence—a felony or misdemeanor crime of violence committed: By a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim; By a person with whom the victim shares a child in common; By a person who is cohabitating with, or has cohabitated with, the victim as a spouse or intimate partner; By a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction in which the crime of violence occurred; By any other person against an adult or youth victim who is protected from that person’s acts under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction in which the crime of violence occurred.

Stalking—means engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for the person’s safety or the safety of others; or suffer substantial emotional distress. Course of conduct means two or more acts, including, but not limited to, acts in which the stalker directly, indirectly, or through third parties, by any action, method, device, or means, follows, monitors, observes, surveils, threatens, or communicates to or about a person, or interferes with a person’s property. Substantial emotional distress means significant mental suffering or anguish that may, but does not necessarily require medical or other professional treatment or counseling.

Note: the above definitions will be utilized in determining whether an incident of dating violence, domestic violence or stalking in violation of the university’s Sexual harassment (Title IX) policy or the Student code of conduct and conduct review procedures policy by the preponderance of the evidence standard has occurred (and not to determine whether a crime has been committed). The above definition will also be utilized by the university for Clery Act reporting purposes.

I. Summary of Lynn University programs

A. Campus Safety programs

Each year, Campus Safety, along with other on- and off-campus constituencies, provide programs to further promote personal safety. They begin during Welcome Weekend and continue throughout the year. Campus Safety programs include, but are not limited to, campus safety forums, a monthly “For Your Safety” column that publicly addresses various safety tips via My.Lynn.edu, a “lock it or lose it” program focused on personal property security within residence halls, and crime prevention and awareness training sessions, such as alcohol and drug awareness programs, and "staying safe" and "active shooter" presentations.

B. Student Affairs and academic programs

Housing and Residence Life, Student Health, Counseling Services, and the Office of Student Wellness provide health and safety programs on an ongoing basis. The university annually sponsors National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week and Safe Spring Break events. A substance abuse treatment and prevention specialist supplements the peer training program in addressing a variety of wellness issues.

Counseling Services, Student Health, the Office of Student Wellness and the Lynn Library each have current publications and videos about sexual assault, safety, substance abuse, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and sexually transmitted diseases for university and personal use. Professional community referrals also are available upon request.

C. Sexual and gender-based misconduct primary prevention and awareness programs

Lynn has developed primary prevention and awareness programs for all incoming students to prevent sexual and gender-based misconduct. This includes, but is not limited to, information on (a) Title IX and a review of the university’s prohibition against dating violence, sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking, including both state and federal definitions of each offense prohibited under the policy, (b) how to file a formal Title IX complaint with the university, (c) resources available to sexual and gender-based misconduct victims such as counseling, health services and interim measures, and (d) options for reporting an incident of sexual and gender-based misconduct to campus or local law enforcement. In addition, all incoming students are educated regarding the legal definitions for dating violence, sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking and consent in the state of Florida.

Through a comprehensive prevention and awareness campaign, the university seeks to empower individuals to make smart decisions and take responsible actions. The university’s prevention and awareness programming has been designed to reduce the risk of sexual and gender-based misconduct and to encourage students, staff and third parties to play an active role in creating a safe and respectful living, learning and working environment. Primary and ongoing awareness and prevention campaigns and programming seek to stop domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking before it occurs and to increase awareness of issues of sexual and gender-based misconduct while sharing information and resources to prevent interpersonal violence, promote safety and reduce perpetration. Complete and up-to-date descriptions of the university’s current primary prevention and awareness educational program offerings are set forth in the university’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.

D. Sexual and gender-based misconduct ongoing awareness and prevention

In an effort to reduce the risk of sexual and gender-based misconduct, various programs and safety measures, including but not limited to a comprehensive bystander intervention program, the creation of individual and community safety plans and strategies, self-defense courses, and general crime prevention education, have been created and are available to members of the campus community during new student and new staff orientations and throughout the academic year. Educational programs are offered each year for all students and staff. Complete and up-to-date descriptions of the university’s current ongoing and awareness prevention educational program offerings are set forth in the university’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.

E. Bystander intervention program

The bystander intervention program was started in 2012. Since then, various student leaders, staff and faculty members have been trained to facilitate presentations in the classroom to educate the campus community on bystander intervention. Starting in the fall of 2015, all incoming first-year students will be required to complete a bystander intervention course. Participants will learn the definitions of consent, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking and bystander intervention. They will learn how to identify red flags in common university scenarios, how to assume personal responsibility in order to better assist someone who might be in trouble, as well as the different techniques of intervening, both directly and indirectly. Participants will also learn about on- and off-campus resources, prevention strategies and what to do if they know someone who has been the victim of a sexual assault. Complete and up-to-date descriptions of the university’s bystander intervention educational program offerings are set forth in the university’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.

To learn more about this policy or the supporting procedures, please contact Campus Safety.