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Higher education discusses best practices for campus assaults

WBFO News photo by Eileen Buckley

College and university officials from across the region shared best practices Friday on how to prevent sexual assaults and rapes on campus.  WBFO's Focus on Education reporter Eileen Buckley reports on how the Western New York Consortium of Higher Education held The Sexual Assault Prevention and Compliance Summit 2014 at Hilbert College in Hamburg. 

"You try your best make sure that the lives that are entrusted to us are well cared for," said Cynthia Zane, President of Hilbert College.

Zane responded to concerns of how prevalent campus attacks are across the nation.  This past May the U.S. Department of Education revealed that 55 colleges and universities are part of federal investigation for violating Title 9 for how the schools handed sexual assaults cases.

President Zane says the summit will provide information to prevent and handle potential cases.

WBFO News asked Zane if Hilbert has experienced any sexual assault cases on campus.

"We have not -- praise God, but we also know that it's only one foolish mistake away from happening," stated Zane. 

Credit WBFO News photo by Eileen Buckley
U.S. Attorney William Hochul talks with Hilbert College President Cynthia Zane at The Sexual Assault Prevention Summit.

U.S Attorney William Hochul was one of the presenters at the Summit.  Hochul tells WBFO News colleges and universities must make sure these case are reported and investigated properly.

"If it's a student athlete how is the alleged perpetrator you can't have the athletic department part of the reporting process," said Hochul.

In New York State, four schools were named in the federal investigation, including Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva.

If the federal Campus Accountability and Safety Act bill is approved it would impose tough fines to colleges and universities that under report assaults. 

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