University of Kentucky not in Compliance with Federal Sex Offenders Laws

At the University of Kentucky, a hidden issue undermines valuable campaigns to improve the issue of safety on campus. Located on a back page of the University Police website, the Campus Sex Offender Registry goes unnoticed. This registry keeps track of registered sex offenders who attend or work for the university. However, despite laws mandating the distribution of this information, the majority of students are unaware of the existence of either the website or the information it contains.

An unofficial survey of students found that out of 100 randomly selected undergraduates, only three were aware of the Campus Sex Offender Registry or its location. This registry lists nine convicted offenders and provides links to the State Sex Offender Registry, where further information is provided about the crimes committed . A search of the campus directory reveals that two of the listed individuals are graduate students, while the others are non-students who hold jobs in which they do not often interact with students.

The interim Chief of UK Police, Major John Monroe, says that his department is responsible for making revisions to the Campus Sex Offender Registry, which they do on a quarterly basis. Also, new individuals are added to the list occasionally, based on information provided by Human Resources or the Kentucky State Police. Major Monroe says about safety on campus that "You can't be 100 percent [safe]." But he also says that in his opinion, "students are safe."

Other than the registry, there is little or no monitoring of sex offenders on campus. The application for admission does not require students to disclose criminal convictions. It should be noted, however, that for most incoming students, any prior convictions would exist inside sealed juvenile records. Dean of Students Victor Hazzard, who handles student discipline, says that as long as a student "does not draw attention" to him or herself, faculty and staff are generally unaware of a student's previous criminal history.

When it comes to employment, however, criminal history becomes a more important factor. New employees at the university are required to disclose their presence on the State Sex Offender Registry when they apply for a position. If a conviction exists and the applicant fails to disclose this information, the job offer is retracted. If a conviction is disclosed, however, UK hiring officials consider the situation on a case by case basis. Some things that are considered: how recent the conviction was, its severity, any patterns in convictions, and how the crime relates to the position being offered.

When asked if the university is placing students at risk by employing sex offenders, Catie Lasley, Employment Manager for the Human Resources department, seems to agree with Major Monroe. She says that: "We would like to be able to say that none of our students or patients are at risk or would ever be at risk, but we can't say that." She points out that there could be dangerous individuals on campus who have not yet committed a crime or who have not been caught, and that there is no way to know who these individuals are.

It is possible, however, for students to know about individuals on campus who have already been convicted of sex crimes. In fact, in 2000, an amendment was made to the 1990 Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act (now popularly known as the Clery Act) that requires schools to disclose the location of "law enforcement agency information provided by the State concerning registered sex offenders."

In order to comply with this law, the university would need to include a link to the Sex Offender Registry within their annual Campus Safety and Security Report. Many schools include a direct link to the State Sex Offender Registry, and bypass the step of creating a campus-only registry. Both methods are in compliance with the law, as long as the information is provided in some manner.

However, in the university's 2007 Campus Safety and Security report, neither the State nor the Campus Sex Offender Registries are mentioned. According to the Clery Act Annual Report Checklist, the omission could result in a fine of over $27,000 if the U.S. Department of Education becomes involved.

Christy Giles, Emergency Management Director, will oversee the creation of the annual report for the first time this year. When asked about the omission in 2007's report, Ms. Giles said that she was unaware of an omission, but would look into the matter and make changes in the way the report is structured if necessary. She says that UK "will be in compliance for the 2008 report."

An informed student can make better choices concerning safety, and next year at the University of Kentucky, students will be just a little bit more informed.