The Department of Education fined Liberty University $14 million for disregarding federal law surrounding campus safety on the basis of the school’s “treatment of sexual assault survivors.”
The Christian university in Virginia will also spend an additional $2 million over the next two years to improve campus safety and enhance compliance.
“Through the Clery Act schools are obligated to take action that creates safe and secure campus communities, investigate complaints, and responsibly disclose information about crimes and other safety concerns. We will continue to hold schools accountable if they fail to do so,” Richard Cordray, Federal Student Aid’s chief operating officer, said in a statement.
The Department of Education said this is the largest fine under the Clery Act. The Clery Act requires colleges and universities that receive federal funding to report campus crime data.
Liberty University said they agree with the basis of the fine and agreed to pay it. The university did, however, disagree with the Department of Education’s handling of the investigation. Liberty said they were unfairly treated as compared to other universities previously under investigation.
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“While the university maintains that we have repeatedly endured selective and unfair treatment by the Department, the university also concurs there were numerous deficiencies that existed in the past,” the statement from the university said.
In 2021, 12 women filed a lawsuit against Liberty University for failing to help victims of sexual assault and making the campus more dangerous. A year later, one woman’s lawsuit said the university failed to investigate her rape and retaliated against her for reporting it. These suits triggered the Department of Education’s review into the school.
