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Audit

Audit  Audit of the Salem State University

Our office conducted a performance audit of the Salem State University for the period, January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2022.

Organization: Office of the State Auditor
Date published: November 4, 2024

Executive Summary

In accordance with Section 12 of Chapter 11 of the Massachusetts General Laws, the Office of the State Auditor has conducted a performance audit of Salem State University (SSU) for the period January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2022.

In this performance audit, we examined SSU’s compliance with certain aspects of the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act), as amended. The Clery Act was enacted in 1990 to ensure that colleges and universities maintain transparency and accountability about crime prevention and response on their campuses. It requires educational institutions participating in federal student aid programs to publish an annual security report (ASR) that discloses campus crime statistics and security information.

Below is a summary of our findings, the effects of those findings, and our recommendations, with links to each page listed.

  
Finding 1
 		SSU did not accurately report some required crime statistics in certain categories in its ASR.
EffectIf SSU inaccurately reports its Clery Act crime statistics, current and prospective students, SSU employees, and members of the public may draw incorrect conclusions about campus safety. Additionally, not complying with the Clery Act’s ASR reporting requirements may result in SSU having to pay fines to the US Department of Education.
Recommendation
 

SSU must make certain that all Clery Act crimes that occur within its Clery geography are accurately reflected in SSU’s daily crime log and its ASR by establishing policies and procedures to ensure that the following occur:

  • cases are recorded accurately in SSU’s daily crime log and the offense types are updated as needed;
  • the “Clery” checkbox in the SSU Police Department’s (SSUPD’s) case management system is always selected for Clery Act crimes;
  • SSUPD retains all supporting documentation for its Clery Act crime statistics, including case files provided by the Salem Police Department, for at least three years;
  • employees from the Resident Life and Student Life Departments accurately record disciplinary incidents in SSU’s disciplinary action records management system; and
  • Clery Act crimes are accurately documented in SSU’s disciplinary action records management system and reported to SSUPD so they can be properly investigated and included in SSU’s ASR.
Finding 2
 		SSU did not properly identify and train campus security authorities (CSAs).
EffectIf SSU does not properly identify and train all CSAs, SSU’s ability to compile and report accurate annual crime statistics is limited and, with inaccurately reported crime statistics, current and prospective students, SSU employees, and members of the public may be misinformed or draw incorrect conclusions about campus safety.
Recommendations
 
  1. SSU should establish a process for its Human Resources Department and SSUPD to identify individuals who meet the definition of a CSA.
  2. SSU should maintain and regularly update a list of identified CSAs.
  3. SSU should notify identified CSAs and train them on their responsibilities as CSAs at least annually.

Table of Contents

Appendix

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