EDITORIAL: Keeping clean on crime reports

The University should follow the spirit, not just the letter, of the law in reporting crime stats. Following a nearly year-long review of the University's crime reporting procedures, the U.S. Department of Education cleared Penn last week of accusations that it systematically attempted to under-report campus crime statistics. The DOE determined that Penn uses an acceptable definition of "campus" for the purpose of classifying incidents. Still, the report concluded that the University committed six lesser violations, including failure to report an alleged on-campus rape in 1994 which is now the subject of an ongoing lawsuit. These are obviously problems that must be addressed. They were not all inevitable. And they should not reoccur in the future. Penn has 30 days to report to the DOE on steps it has taken to remedy the problems. But beyond this, the Division of Public Safety should step up its vigilance in disseminating information to the University community. Although Penn need not put itself at a disadvantage by going beyond what is required, the University needs to follow the spirit, not just the letter, of the law. For instance, as the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990 is designed to educate both those already on campus and prospective students about campus safety, posting statistics on Penn's World Wide Web site is not an adequate form of notification for high school students who may not have access to the Internet. The DOE report says there is no intentional cover-up in Penn's campus crime reporting methods. But it does not give the University lease to relax its efforts. Penn should continue to do its utmost to present an accurate picture of crime statistics.