Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale says safety from sexual violence at the 14 state-owned universities is a focus of an ongoing audit, while Clarion University President Karen Whitney says the universities take campus security very seriously. They, State System Chancellor Frank T. Brogan and other representatives of state-owned universities held a news conference in Harrisburg today. DePasquale says his auditors will examine how well the State System of Higher Education complies with state and federal laws designed to prevent sexual assault, enhance awareness of sexual violence and protect minors. “The universities take campus safety very seriously, with every university employing a state-certified police force to enforce federal and state law, and student affairs professionals who offer prevention programs and administer university policies that responsibly respond to acts of violence should they occur,” said Whitney, representing the State System’s Commission of Presi...

HARRISBURG - Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today said that a recent audit shows that the meteoric growth of the shale gas industry caught the Department of Environmental Protection unprepared to effectively administer laws and regulations to protect drinking water and unable to efficiently respond to citizen complaints. "There are very dedicated hard-working people at DEP but they are being hampered in doing their jobs by lack of resources - including staff and a modern information technology system -- and inconsistent or failed implementation of department policies, among other things, "DePasquale said. "It is almost like firefighters trying to put out a five-alarm fire with a 20-foot garden hose. There is no question that DEP needs help and soon to protect clean water." The audit covered the period of 2009 through 2012 and was launched by DePasquale in January 2013 immediately after he became auditor general. The audit's purpose was to assess DEP's a...