Posted 12:20 am Wednesday, May 11, 2011
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UT Tyler Responds To Concerns About Sex Offenders On Campus
The UT Tyler campus security chose not to speak directly to "The Investigators." Instead, they requested that questions be submitted in writing through the college's public relations office. The questions and the written responses are below.
Q. Does UT Tyler's admission application include a question about an applicant's criminal history?
UT Tyler uses the Apply Texas generic online application. The Apply Texas application does not include a question such as "have you ever been convicted of a crime."
(This application, which was created by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and some of the state's colleges and universities, offers a centralized means for both Texas and non-Texas students to apply to the many higher education institutions in Texas.)
Q. What is the process for sex offenders who attend UT Tyler?
It is incumbent on the individual to contact the UT Tyler police department upon attending the university -- no later than seven (7) days after the first day of attending according to article 62.153 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. Once they've made the initial contact with UT Tyler PD, we ask that they report to the UT Tyler PD at the beginning of each semester that they are in attendance in order to verify and/or update their information.
Q. How does UT Tyler notify sex offenders of university policy?
It is the responsibility of the individual to contact UT Tyler PD of his/her attendance. The individual is made aware of the requirements for registering as a sex offender, including those for higher education students, by the jurisdiction in which the individual originally registered. UT Tyler PD will seek to contact a registered sex offender if that individual is in the Texas Department of Public Safety database for UT Tyler and he/she has not made initial contact with UT Tyler PD upon attending
Q. Are students notified about sex offenders that attend UT Tyler?
In accordance with the Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act of 2000, the UT Tyler PD provides a link to the Texas state sex offender registry. This information is included in the police department's annual security report.
UT Tyler PD maintains a list of registered sex offenders who are either student, employee or campus volunteer, and the list is open to public inspection.
