On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of eight U.S. Senators unveiled a much-anticipated bill to combat sexual violence on college campuses, according to Inside Higher Ed. The lawmakers, led by Senators Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), said that the legislation responds to a national problem of campus sexual assault and the publicized cases of colleges mishandling investigations.
"To curb these crimes, students need to be protected and empowered," said Sen. McCaskill in a written statement, "and institutions must provide the highest level of responsiveness in helping hold perpetrators fully accountable."
Under the legislation, colleges would have to expand resources for victims of sexual assault and training for employees in handling students' reports of assault. Institutions would be required to designate confidential advisers to support victims and offer them accommodations (such as changes in housing or academic schedules) and information about their options for moving forward in the campus disciplinary process or through the law enforcement system. Additionally, colleges would have to handle all sexual-violence complaints through the same process and not, for example, have a separate one run by the athletic department for cases involving athletes, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported.
The legislation would require all colleges to conduct anonymous surveys of students about their views of sexual assault on campuses. The results of the so-called "climate surveys" would then be published online for prospective students to see. The White House has recommended that colleges conduct such evaluations, but the bill would make them mandatory, Inside Higher Ed reported.
In addition, colleges found to be out of compliance with federal requirements would face stiffer financial penalties. The new measure would allow the U.S. Education Department to impose a fine as high as 1 percent of an institution's operating budget for violating the bill's new provisions as well as existing requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. It would also increase the maximum fine for a Clery Act violation from $35,000 to $150,000 per violation. Those violations would include failing to properly report campus crimes on campuses or not providing sufficient warning of an ongoing safety threat.
Related Links
Inside Higher Ed
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/07/31/us-senators-announce-campus-sexual-assault-legislation
The Chronicle of Higher Education
http://chronicle.com/article/Senate-Bill-Asks-Colleges-to/147991