Connie Clery has died at the age of 95.<\/p>\n
Clery was a force for change, now being remembered for the kind heart and her passion for campus safety for students across the country.<\/p>\n
Connie and Howard Clery were faced with the unimaginable when their daughter Jeanne was raped and murdered in her dorm at Lehigh University in 1986.<\/p>\n
The couple faced with tragedy made a decision, one that would greatly impact colleges and universities across the country.<\/p>\n
“If Connie was here, she would say she had no choice, that she had to do something with, with her grief, and she chose to channel it into something incredibly powerful, incredibly important,” said Bob Alig, the executive director of the Clery Center.<\/p>\n
Through their work, federal legislation now requires colleges and universities to provide annual crime statistics that keep students and parents aware and informed.<\/p>\n
Over 40 years, the mission has expanded protecting more young adults.<\/p>\n
“That original Clery Act has been modified and changed over the years and culminating in the most recent significant changes, which are called the Stop Campus Hazing act,” said Alig.<\/p>\n
Now, colleges are required to publicly report hazing in annual security reports and create prevention programs.<\/p>\n
Connie Clery leaves behind friends and countless people she has touched.<\/p>\n
“She was never afraid to take on challenges, and she led with kindness and compassion and concern,” said Alig.<\/p>\n
Clery also leaves behind a mission.<\/p>\n
“I would say that Connie would not want a moment of silence, but rather she’d want a decade of advocacy,” he said.<\/p>\n