Under the Clery Act, a Campus Security Authority (CSA) is defined as a university official with significant responsibility for student and campus activities. This includes, but is not limited to, campus police or security, individuals who have responsibility for campus security but are not designated as police or security department (e.g., those responsible for monitoring entrance onto TSU property), people or offices identified in TSU’s policy as those to whom crimes should be reported, and TSU officials with significant responsibility for student and campus activities, such as student housing, student discipline, and campus judicial proceedings.

CSA’s are required to report Clery Act crimes of which they become aware to the appropriate TSU office or official. At TSU, this would be the Department of Public Safety. This requirement to report ensures that accurate and timely campus crime statistics are maintained and disclosed, contributing to campus safety and transparency.

CSA’s are required to complete annual training on appropriately handling reporting crimes, victim relations and support, and related school policies. For more detailed information, you can refer to the U.S. Department of Education’s handbook for campus safety and security reporting.

Who Are CSA’s at TSU?

The law allows institutions of higher education to designate its CSA’s. As guidance, the Clery Act defines a CSA as any of the following categories:

  1. Campus Police or Security Department: Any member of a campus police or campus security department.
  2. Other Individuals with Security Responsibilities: Individuals who are responsible for security but are not part of a campus police or security department, such as those who monitor access to buildings.
  3. Designated Individuals or Offices: Any person or office specified in the institution’s campus security policy as an entity to which students and employees should report criminal offenses.
  4. Officials with Significant Responsibility for Student and Campus Activities: This includes a wide range of positions that deal with student and campus life. Examples include deans of students, directors of athletics, team coaches, and faculty advisors to student groups.

Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers are CSAs, but other TSU employees designated as CSAs include: residential advisors, certain student affairs staff members, etc.

What Does a CSA Do?

A CSA must notify DPS or the Office of Clery Act Compliance of crimes or criminal incidents that are reported to him or her. They disclose statistics that fall under the Clery Act’s list of reportable crimes and occur within Clery geography.

If a CSA is notified of a crime in progress or an ongoing threat to the TSU campus community, they will contact the Department of Public Safety for assistance.

See Reportable Crimes

Can CSAs handle confidential crime reports?

Occasionally, a person may want to seek assistance anonymously. Certain positions and offices at TSU are not CSAs, so the Clery Act reporting requirements do not apply to them. One of these positions include

Professional Counselors: A person whose official responsibility includes providing mental health counseling to members of TSUs community and who is acting within the scope of the counselor’s license or certification. This definition applies even to professional counselors who are not TSU employees but are under contract to provide counseling at the university.

Health Professionals: A person whose official responsibility includes providing medical services to members of TSUs community and who is acting within the scope of their medical license or certification. This definition applies even to health professionals who are not TSU employees but are under contract to provide medical services at the university.