\nWEST VIRGINIA — The U.S. Department of Education told\na college to correct its reporting of campus crime statistics\nin September.
According to the DOE, West Virginia Wesleyan College failed\nto correctly report 27 incidents of burglary, marijuana possession\nand an incident of aggravated assault between 1994 and 1996.
The private college had 30 days after the receipt of Sept.\n9 report by the DOE to improve its recording of hate-crime statistics,\nbring its incident listing in line with the FBI’s reporting system,\nand to include certain required policy statements and drug and\nalcohol abuse programs to be in compliance with the Crime Awareness\nand Campus Security Act of 1990.
Security on Campus, a nonprofit organization geared toward\nthe prevention of college violence, requested the DOE investigation\nof the college.
Security on Campus Vice President S. Daniel Carter said the\nschool responded to the charges of not keeping proper records\ndifferently than most other schools.
“They’ve been upset with this whole thing since the very\nbeginning … they’ve taken it more personally,” Carter said.\n”They either had to choose they were either deliberately\nunderreporting or they were incompetent … they chose the incompetent\noption, but I think they resent that characterization.”
Joanne Foliday, the college’s vice president for external relations,\nsaid West Virginia Wesleyan was relieved to get the report and\nconsidered it to be very helpful.
Foliday said she thinks West Virginia Wesleyan is one of many\ncolleges confused by the new security act.