Northern Essex CC Clery Report

Understanding the Clery Report and Stop Campus Hazing Act

What is the Clery Act?

To understand the Clery Report, you first should understand the Clery Act, and how it came to be.

On April 5, 1986, Jeanne Clery, a freshman at Lehigh University, was raped and murdered in her dorm room. Her parents, Howard and Connie Clery, led the charge on Capitol Hill for policy change in regards to unreported crimes on college campuses across the country. In 1990, Congress instituted the landmark federal statute then known as the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act of 1990. The act was later amended in 1998, and renamed in memory of Jeanne to the Clery Act.

The law originally required colleges and universities across the United States to disclose crime statistics that occurred on and around their campus. In the thirty plus years that have followed, it has grown to encompass over one hundred policies and procedures. Congress also instituted a fine for colleges and universities found out of compliance, which increases annually. Additionally, if a college or university is found out of compliance their Title IV funding (financial aid) can be limited. The Act is enforced by the United States Department of Education.

What is the Stop Campus Hazing Act?

The Stop Campus Hazing Act (SCHA), enacted on December 23, 2024, amends the Clery Act to prioritize the prevention of and transparency about hazing incidents at colleges and universities.

The Stop Campus Hazing Act has three primary components:

Inclusion of hazing statistics in annual security reports: Colleges and universities will need to include statistics for hazing incidents that were reported to campus security authorities or local law enforcement, as defined by SCHA, in their annual security reports.
Implementation of hazing policies, including those specific to hazing prevention: Colleges and universities will be required to have a hazing policy with information on how to make a report of hazing and the process used to investigate hazing incidents. They must also have a policy that addresses hazing prevention and awareness programs, which includes a description of research-informed campus-wide prevention programs and primary prevention strategies.
Compilation of a Campus Hazing Transparency Report: Each institution must compile and publish on a prominent location of their public website a hazing transparency report that summarizes findings concerning any student organization found to be in violation of the institution’s standards of conduct related to hazing. The report will include:
- The name of the student organization;
- A general description of the violation that resulted in a finding of responsibility; and
- Related dates (the date of the alleged incident, the date of the initiation of the investigation, the date the investigation ended with a finding, and the date the institution provided notice to the organization of the finding).

Hazing Policy Statement:

Hazing, defined below, is prohibited by Massachusetts law M.G.L. ch. 269, §§17 to 19. Institutions of higher education must provide a copy of the Massachusetts hazing law on an annual basis to every student, student group, student team, and student organization.

Hazing is a violation of the Northern Essex Community College Student Code of Conduct.

Northern Essex Community College investigates allegations of hazing according to the processes described in the Student Code of Conduct. “Hazing” means any conduct or method of initiation into any student organization, whether on public or private property, which willfully or recklessly endangers the physical or mental health of any student or other person. Such conduct shall include whipping, beating, branding, forced calisthenics, exposure to the weather, forced consumption of any food, liquor, beverage, drug or other substance, or any other brutal treatment or forced physical activity which is likely to adversely affect the physical health or safety of any such student or other person, or which subjects such student or other person to extreme mental stress, including extended deprivation of sleep or rest or extended isolation.
M.G.L. ch. 269, §17

How to report a Hazing Incident:

Any person may report alleged hazing by completing the Student Conduct Referral Form or as otherwise indicated in the Student Code of Conduct. All reported incidents of alleged hazing will be investigated and adjudicated through the Student Code of Conduct process.

Hazing Prevention Programs & Strategies Statement

NECC employs research-informed prevention and awareness programs, strategies and resources related to hazing. The NECC Hazing Prevention Programs and Strategies Statement builds upon the NECC Hazing Policy Statement to include prevention and awareness programs relating to hazing, including a description of prevention programs, which is detailed below.

Student Notifications

As part of NECC’s hazing notifications, which are required under Massachusetts law (M.G.L ch.269 §§17 to 19), all registered students receive email notifications on a semester-by-semester basis. These notifications include information about the Stop Campus Hazing Act, “Hazing” statistics as documented in the Annual Security Report for the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act and links to Hazing Policy Statements, Massachusetts Hazing Law, the Campus hazing Transparency Report and the annual Security Report for the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act.

Student Training

NECC partners with Vector Solutions to provide a Hazing Awareness & Prevention and Alcohol and Other Drugs online training courses to all registered students.

Hazing Awareness and Prevention Course

Vector Solutions describe hazing as “a dangerous ritual taking place at institutions and organizations across the country. While certain activities that groups and clubs use to initiate members may seem innocuous, oftentimes these behaviors can escalate, creating harassing and sometimes violent and deadly criminal acts.”

The Hazing Awareness & Prevention course provides students a better understanding about hazing so that they can identify when it’s happening and possibly prevent incidents in the future. The course also connects students to resources and information as follows:

Information on how to report an alleged incident of hazing with a link to a reporting form
Information and links to Hazing Policy Statements, Massachusetts Hazing Law, Campus Hazing Transparency Report and Annual Security Report for the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act.

Student Organizations

On an annual basis, student organizations, as defined by the Stop Campus Hazing Act, are provided information about the Stop Campus Hazing Act, “Hazing” statistics as documented in the Annual Security Report and links to Hazing Policy Statements, Massachusetts Hazing Law, the Campus Hazing Transparency Report and the Annual Security Report for the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act. Members provide a signature of receipt, review and understanding of the information provided. Student organizations at NECC include all clubs, athletic teams and the student government association.

Employees

Campus Security Authorities (“CSA”) and other stakeholders are regularly trained on the Act’s definitions of “Hazing” and “Student Organizations”, the need to report “Hazing” and the mechanism available for reporting hazing incidents. CSAs or Campus Police determine if alleged incidents meet the requirements of “Hazing” for inclusion in the Annual Security Report. NECC will expand its training offerings by providing the Hazing Awareness & Prevention Course to CSAs and other stakeholders.

Hazing Transparency Report:

The Campus Hazing Transparency Report is designed to enhance public awareness of hazing incidents in higher education. It mandates that colleges and universities participating in federal financial aid programs collect and publicly disclose information about student organizations found responsible for hazing violations.

Key Features of the Report:

Name of the student organization, club, or athletic team
When the alleged incident occurred
The date the investigation was initiated
The date on which the investigation ended with a finding that a violation occurred
Description of the violation, including the date of the initial violation, and the violations, findings, and sanctions placed on the student organization, club or athletic team
The details of the sanction or sanctions imposed, including the beginning and end dates of the sanction or sanctions
The date the student organization, club, or athletic team was charged with a violation

Last updated: July 9, 2025

2024-2025 Hazing Transparency Report

There were no findings of hazing behavior between January 1, 2025 – June 30, 2025

Campus Crime Statistics

The law requires each college or university to disclose crime statistics that occur on campus, in public areas immediately adjacent to or running through the campus, and certain non-campus facilities, including off campus sports facilities and remote classrooms. The statistics must be gathered from campus police or security, local law enforcement, and other school officials, known as Campus Security Authorities (CSAs), who have “significant responsibility for student and campus activities” such as student judicial affairs directors. Professional mental health and religious counselors are exempt from reporting obligations, but may refer patients to a confidential reporting system.

Crimes are reported in the following seven (7) major categories, with several sub-categories:

Criminal Homicide broken down by
1. Murder and Nonnegligent Manslaughter and
2. Negligent manslaughter
Sex Offenses broken down by
1. Rape
2. Fondling
3. Incest
4. Statutory Rape
Robbery
Aggravated Assault
Burglary
Motor Vehicle Theft; and
Arson.

Schools are also required to report the following three types of incidents if they result in either an arrest or disciplinary referral:

Liquor Law Violations
Drug Law Violations
Illegal Weapons Possession

In addition, with the introduction of the Violence Against Women Act, schools are also required to report:

Domestic Violence,
Dating Violence and
Stalking incidents.

Colleges and universities are also required to report incidents of Hate Crimes which includes an extensive subset category of crimes.

Campus Safety & Security Report Annual Report

Colleges and universities are required to publish an annual security report (ASR) every year by October 1st, which must contain the crime statistics for the 3 previous years and numerous security policy statements. The report is to be made available to all current students and employees, while prospective students and employees are to be notified of its existence. Northern Essex Community College, in accordance with these requirements, publishes an annual Campus Safety & Security Report (Clery Report) and makes this report available to the entire campus community.

For more information about the Clery report, please contact Tracey Trask in the NECC Department of Public Safety at 978-556-3694.

Clery Report