Students walk across Liberty University’s campus in Lynchburg, Va.
Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/AFP/Getty Images
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Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/AFP/Getty Images
Students walk across Liberty University’s campus in Lynchburg, Va.
Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/AFP/Getty Images
The U.S. Department of Education is fining Liberty University $14 million, the largest penalty on record, for failing to comply with a federal campus crime-reporting law.
Department officials announced the settlement Tuesday. It came after a lengthy investigation that found numerous violations of the Clery Act, a federal law that requires colleges to record, and warn their communities about, campus crimes and dangerous situations.
The department’s findings are detailed in a more than 100-page report, which describes how, from 2016 to 2023, the Christian university in Lynchburg, Va., demonstrated “serious, persistent, and systemic violations.” The report says the college discouraged students from reporting crimes, did not adequately respond to incidents of sexual violence, failed to tell the campus about criminal activities or dangerous situations (such as gas leaks), and did not maintain an accurate or complete list of crimes.
Federal investigators reached out to about 100 individuals for this report, including former and current university employees, students and parents.
In addition to the $14 million dollar…