Federal officials hit the University of St. Thomas with $172,000 in fines last week after an investigation found that it underreported campus crimes including sexual assault and robbery and didn't publish key safety policies in a centralized document required by federal law.

The U.S. Department of Education concluded that St. Thomas violated the Clery Act, which requires universities to publish an annual document outlining its safety policies, crime notification systems and a list of crimes committed on campus over the last three years. That document is called an annual security report.

St. Thomas's "students and employees were denied important safety information about how to prevent crime; where to report incidents; their rights after an alleged sex offense has occurred; and information about the school's missing student notification procedures," an Education Department letter to President Richard Ludwick said. "Students and employees cannot benefit from policies and procedures that have not been provided to them."

St. Thomas spokeswoman Sandra Soliz said Ludwick as of Monday had not thoroughly reviewed the report, which was dated Sept. 27.

Ludwick sent the report to Vice President Gary McCormack for review, Soliz said. He is scheduled to meet with an administrator who oversees security on Wednesday, when she returns from a wedding. Ludwick will meet with McCormack to discuss the letter on Thursday, she said.

The university has until Oct. 20 to appeal the fine through a request for a hearing or a written outline of why the fine should not be imposed, according to the letter. Soliz had no immediate comment on whether St. Thomas will do so.

The letter describing St. Thomas's "very serious and numerous" violations was from Susan Crim, who directs the federal administrative actions and appeals service group of the Education Department's federal student aid and enforcement unit.

It said that the investigation began after several complaints that the university violated the Clery Act by not including sexual assault prevention and response procedures and not properly disclosing reported crimes.

Complainants then also said that St. Thomas did not issue its 2012 annual security report by the federally required Oct. 1 deadline.

Soliz said in an email that the university's last reporting cycles have been timely.

As part of their investigation, federal officials reviewed samples of St. Thomas's incident reports, arrest records and student and employee discipline documents from 2008 through 2015, the letter said.

Nearly $100,000 of the fines came because St. Thomas did not properly report 2012 and 2013 crime -- including sexual assault, aggravated assault, robbery and motor vehicle theft -- in a 2015 annual security report and in data provided to the Education Department. Eleven crimes in total were omitted.

Other fines came because St. Thomas did not include eight required policy statements in its 2012, 2014 and 2015 annual security reports and because the university did not include the St. Mary's Seminary Campus as part of its grounds, which was required.

In 2015, the university did not include in its annual security report any outline of policy regarding disciplinary action in cases of alleged dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, the Education Department said. That disclosure must describe a range of possible sanctions and a list of protective measures.

Complying with the Clery Act is crucial because current and prospective students and employees should know how to make important personal safety decisions and understand their rights and obligations, the Education Department wrote in its letter.

St. Thomas is one of 10 universities fined this year for Clery Act violations.

It is the first Texas university since at least 2015 to be fined under the law. Baylor University acknowledged in April that the Education Department is reviewing its annual safety reports.

"Baylor has extended our full cooperation with this DOE review, as it provides another opportunity to demonstrate the significant enhancements that have been made within the Baylor University Police Department and the Department of Public Safety for the benefit of our students, faculty, staff and guests, as well as in the administration of the Clery Act," the university said in a statement at the time.

The Clery Act is named after Jeanne Clery, a student who was raped and murdered in April 1986.

Lindsay Ellis writes about higher education for the Chronicle. You can follow her on Twitter and send her tips at lindsay.ellis@chron.com.