Virginia Tech has been levied with $55,000 in fines for what the government says was a failure to promptly notify students, faculty and staff in the 2007 mass shooting. The Clery Act requires universities to provide warnings in a timely manner of crimes occurring on campus. The Education Department says Virginia Tech violated that law by sending out a campus-wide warning e-mail two hours after the shooting had begun.
“This case is about responsibility,” the Education Department said. “Specifically, it’s about an institution’s responsibility to provide vital information to its students and employees as required by federal law.” Virginia Tech has contested the charge, claiming that they acted within their practices at the time for notifying students.
