Campus Security Authorities
The Nova Southeastern University Public Safety Department encourages all members of the campus community to report crimes to us on a timely basis. Under the Clery Act, Campus Security Authorities (CSAs) are required to report Clery Act qualifying crimes which occurred on campus, in public areas bordering campus and in certain non-campus buildings owned or controlled (leased) by the university. CSAs should only report those crimes that have not been previously reported to NSU Public Safety or another university CSA. The intent of including non-law enforcement personnel in the CSA role is to acknowledge that some community members and students, in particular, may be hesitant about reporting crimes to the police, but may be more inclined to report incidents to other campus-affiliated individuals.
To review information on reportable Clery Act crimes, disciplinary referrals, please refer to the Clery Crime Definitions pages. For additional information on the Clery Act and CSA responsibilities, visit the Online Campus Security Authority Training and/or the CSA Resources Sheet (PDF).
Who is a Campus Security Authority?
The responsibility of safety on campus does not rest solely in the hands of public safety. It is a collaborative effort across offices on campus. The purpose of including non-law enforcement as CSAs is that many individuals receive crime reports, not only law enforcement.
The Clery Act defines a CSA as:
- A member of campus police (NSU Davie Police officers on the main campus) NSU Office of Public Safety and contact security officers,
- An individual who has responsibility for campus security but does not constitute a police or security department (for example monitoring the entrance to a building).
- An individual or organization specified in the university’s security policy as an individual or organization to which students or employees should report criminal offenses- NSU Public Safety.
- An individual of an institution who has significant responsibility for student campus activities. The officials with significant responsibility for student and campus activities category is defined broadly to ensure complete coverage and thorough reporting of crimes. To determine which individuals or organizations are CSAs, consider job functions that involve relationships with students. Look for officials (i.e., not support staff) whose functions involve relationships with students.
Who is not a CSA?
The following non-CSA positions/functions include but are not limited to: administrative staff members who are not responsible for students, clerical staff, individual faculty with no student activity duties outside the classroom, doctors at NSU clinics, or counselors at the Henderson Student Counseling Center or Maltz Psychology Clinic who only provide care to individual students.
Frequently Asked Questions
When a crime is reported to a CSA, first ask the person if they would like to report it to Public Safety. If so, contact Public Safety at (954) 262-8999. If the CSA has firsthand knowledge and confirmation that the reporting party filed a report with NSU Public Safety, then they are not obligated to complete and submit a Campus Security Authority Crime Report Form.
CSAs are encouraged to report all crimes reported to them, on a timely basis, to Public Safety via a CSA Crime Report Form. However, under the Clery Act, only Clery Act qualifying crimes are required to be reported. The CSA Crime Report Form is submitted to the Public Safety Department online. The CSA must still complete and submit a CSA Crime Report if the CSA has no firsthand knowledge and confirmation that a report was actually filed.
If the reported crime is made in good faith, meaning that there is reasonable basis for believing that the information is not rumor or hearsay, then the crime is Clery reportable. CSAs, when interacting with the crime reporting party, need to gather incident information that would provide sufficient detail to properly classify the incident. This means CSAs need to document reporting party responses or lack thereof. Reporting party identifying information should only be included in the Report Form if the reporting party is willing to provide same (see Anonymous Reporting section below). CSAs should not investigate the crime or attempt to determine whether a crime, in fact, took place. When in doubt, a Report Form should be completed and submitted!
While there is no specific mechanism to receive anonymous reports within the NSU Department of Public Safety, victims can report crimes on a voluntary, confidential basis through Campus Security Authorities. Nova Southeastern University permits victims or witnesses to report crimes to CSAs on a voluntary, anonymous basis (and includes such anonymous reports in reported Annual Security Report crime totals) but encourages individuals who report crime to provide identifying information.
In addition, the Contact Us link on the Public Safety web page is available for anyone to communicate with the Office of Public Safety regarding any matter.
The following is a sample of what you can tell a reporting party who comes to you to report a crime:
"As part of my position on campus, I am a federally mandated crime reporter for the University. I am required to report of this incident to Public Safety for data gathering. If you request confidentiality, the Report Form will not include your name, or that of any other involved individuals. My report will contain only the information you provide. Do you have any questions? Would you like to help me fill it out?"
Public Safety reviews CSA reports and makes a determination if an incident warrants timely warning and/or emergency notification of the University community and whether it is a reportable crime in the Annual Security Report (ASR). The Clery Act Coordinator will consolidate crime data from multiple sources, report qualifying crime data to the federal Department of Education, publish campus ASRs and inform the campus community when and where ASRs are available. The Nova Southeastern University Security Report is available online. Members of the community may also request a paper copy from the Nova Southeastern University Office of Public Safety.
Crime / Emergency and Non-Emergency Reporting
Regardless of your status (CSA or non-CSA), all community members are encouraged to promptly report all criminal incidents and other public safety related emergencies to NSU Public Safety. For incidents requiring immediate attention, dial 9-1-1 or use any Emergency Phone located throughout the campus.
Non-emergency incidents can be reported by dialing (954) 262-8999 from any phone or in person at the NSU Public Safety Department Headquarters located on the main campus at the Camus Support Building or any NSU Public Safety officer post.
CSA Contact and Resource Guide
If you have questions, contact Public Safety Training Specialist John Touhsant at (954) 262-8981. A printable, one page document indicating what should be reported can be found here in the CSA Resource Sheet.