University officials question campus crime bill

Kristy Mangos Arizona Daily Wildcat Eileen Wagner, attorney, speaks in favor of the Accuracy in Campus Crime Reporting Act of 1997, which would require college administrators to report crimes directly to the police and open student disciplinary case proceedings, at a nationally televised conference Friday. Wagner addressed many skeptics who found flaws in the proposed legislation.

Facets of the Accuracy in Campus Crime Reporting Act of 1997, mainly relating to sex crimes, were debated Friday during a live television conference broadcast to over 90 national sites.

Instead of giving the students the choice to report crime to the police, the act, known as ACCRA, would require college administrators to report crimes directly to the police and open student disciplinary case proceedings.

ACCRA would loosen the privacy protections on educational records provided by the 1974 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA.

Among other information, FERPA restricts universities from releasing student disciplinary records. If a university violates FERPA, it risks losing federal funding.

Attorney Eileen Wagner, who represents plaintiffs in disputes with colleges and universities, said ACCRA would lower the number of potential campus sexual "predators" by requiring administrators to report the offenses they hear about to the police.

By turning to the police, Wagner said, the media would have access to case-related information.

Associated Students Senator Leslie Hunter said she thought students would lose their right to choose confidentiality if the federal bill, H.R. 715, passes.

"I would want to choose, but I would go (to the police)," she said after the 90-minute conference. "I think it is my personal right."

Irene Anderson, University of Arizona Campus Health Service program coordinator, said allowing students to remain anonymous encourages them to seek help.

She said during UA's Oasis Center for Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence's first 18 months, it received 120 reports - 60 of which were related to sexual assault.

"My concern is that it (ACCRA) will not take into consideration the rights of victims," Anderson said. "Confidential reporting, in fact, allows for good law enforcement."

Alexis Hernandez, associate dean of students, said the Dean of Students' office has not heard of any criminal acts that have not been reported to police, but that the UA would comply with the legislation if passed.

"It's clearly an issue that needs to be discussed some more," he said. "There are some real pragmatic issues here."

During the conference, Wagner advocated a zero-tolerance campus crime policy and a student-signed contract agreeing to expulsion in the event of being charged with a felony.

"She made some fascinating points," Hernandez said.

The majority of viewers from around the nation fired questions at Wagner, who defended ACCRA time and time again.

"Schools have good reasons to keep secrecy," she told the panel, which also included two judicial program administrators from the University of Georgia and University of Maryland-College Park and a Bowling Green University professor.

This secrecy, Wagner said, invites favoritism and distortion of the facts.

She said FERPA is not the "tool of absolute confidentiality like some think it is."

Hernandez said student hearings at UA, which are generally closed to the public, can be opened if the student accused wants it to be.

William Bracewell, assistant to the vice president and director of judicial programs at the University of Georgia, said if reporters were allowed to witness student hearings, victims would be caught in a "media grind." He said victims would be reluctant to participate in hearings or report the crime all together.

"I believe the focus is in the wrong place," Bracewell said. "If the objective is to have a safer campus, this is not the way to do it."

Wagner said it is time for adult students to "grow up" by stepping out from behind the administration and alerting the police.

Bracewell disagreed.

"I can't be responsible for how a city of authorities respond to crime, but I can control what happens on my campus," Bracewell said. "When I am with a student, I have a responsibility to create an environment so that person can continue in school."