The Ithaca College Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management released its 2025 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report Sept. 30. This report includes crime and fire statistics from the last three calendar years, as well as disciplinary and legal policies, community events and crime reporting guidelines. 

Creating the report 

Elyse Nepa — assistant director of Clery Act and prevention education in the Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management — said compiling and writing the report begins in January of each year, with a deadline of Oct. 1. 

“I am in a constant review of the security report, especially as we develop new programs,” Nepa said. “I have methods and means of tracking all of our programs in a very detailed way, but sometimes it’s an immediate inspiration of, ‘Oh my gosh, [that] was such a great event, I’m going to write about it from the heart and put it in the report.’’’ 

Thomas Dunn, director and deputy chief in the Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management, said that alongside three years of statistics, there are 137 policies in the report each year. According to the report, OPS collects data from the Offices of Residential Life and Student Conduct and Community Standards, Title IX, the Office of Human Resources, and local and state law enforcement agencies.

“It’s not easy, and you need to rely on campus partners for some of that data,” Dunn said. “Like how many sexual assaults were reported, we might not have all of that. We might have a portion of that, but Title IX might have a portion too.” 

Stop Campus Hazing Act

One major update in the 2025 report was the addition of IC’s anti-hazing policy. This policy was made following the passing of the Stop Campus Hazing Act, signed into U.S. law in December 2024, amending the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act. The Stop Campus Hazing Act requires federally funded institutions to more clearly define, report and enforce rules around hazing in campus organizations. 

The policy creates legal definitions for hazing and hazing incidents in the campus community, such as physical and mental harm, as well as sexual or substance abuse. Additionally, it marks campus security, supervisors, managers and student organization members as required reporters for hazing incidents. Nepa said that while there are not many cases of hazing at IC, it is good to adopt the same uniform protections and policies for reporting purposes. 

“If it’s a federal consumer protection law, we should be using the same definition so the consumer can easily understand what we’re trying to tell them about safety on campus,” Nepa said. 

The policy also includes specific disciplinary actions that would be taken if a hazing incident is reported. During the investigation, organizations could be suspended, with suspected individuals being barred from group participation. The investigations would be followed by hearings with Conduct, Human Resources or OPS which could result in suspension, expulsion or termination. Nepa said no disciplinary action has occurred regarding hazing yet. 

Statistic updates

Cases of certain crimes have increased each year since 2022: fondling, with seven cases in 2022, nine cases in 2023 and 10 cases in 2024 and burglary, with seven in 2022, 10 in 2023 and 12 in 2024. 

Other crimes have decreased each year since 2022: domestic violence with 10 cases in 2022, eight cases in 2023 and five cases in 2024. Weapons violations with two in 2022, one in 2023 and zero in 2024. 2024 was the first year since 2021 without a single weapons violation.

OPS sent out an email Sept. 26 warning students of a series of burglaries that occurred between Sept. 12 and 23. Nepa said much of this issue is caused simply by students not locking their doors. 

“More often than not, doors are just left unlocked and it’s an opportunity that somebody might take advantage of,” Nepa said. “It’s really empowering students, or helping students understand the significance of locking their doors, that can prevent these crimes.” 

Community programming

Outside of campus safety, OPS has a number of community initiatives, many of which are under the Prevention, Education and Community Engagement (PEACE) Committee formed in 2024. Nepa said the committee, solely made up of OPS staff, works to create and plan community events and educational opportunities. She said they hosted 49 events last academic year. 

Nepa serves as the chair of the PEACE Committee. She said one of the events she was most proud of was the First Responder Charity Softball Tournament, which raises money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and began in 2024. The tournament, hosted Aug. 2 at Kostrinsky Field, featured four teams: the Ithaca Police Department, Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office, Cornell University Police Department and OPS. She said that this year they raised $4,200, doubling their donation from last year. 

“It’s just a full day of family fun,” Nepa said. “We are going to host it again next year and every year, we just hope it gets better and better.” 

In the past three years, 10 out of 20 fires occurred in the Circle Apartments. Michael Stone, associate director and manager in the Office of Environmental Health and Safety, said the Circle Apartments see a lot of cooking issues due to the proximity of the smoke detector to the kitchen and the fact that many residents are learning how to cook. 

Stone said EH&S began a program called the “Potholder Award,” a designed potholder given to students who unintentionally set off fire alarms while cooking. The award is adorned with writing saying: “Who says I can’t cook. Have you tried my cereal?” 

“We did the Potholder Award to poke fun at [the students’] poor cooking skills while turning it into a positive thing,” Stone said. “My guys will get on the radio and say, ‘The award has been given to the chef.’ … It’s a fun way to raise awareness.” 

Nepa said she encourages all students and community members to read the report. She said that even if it is not read cover to cover, there are many things students and other community members can learn from it and OPS would love to hear feedback. 

“I want people to know how deeply committed this team is to campus safety,” Nepa said. “One of the greatest honors of my life has been getting hired here. … Not feeling safe could hinder our ability to feel a sense of love and protection. At a very foundational level, I think safety is one of the most important [things] for someone’s overall well–being.”