The U.S. Senate will hold a hearing Wednesday on a bipartisan bill to reform campus sexual assault policies across the nation. Studies show one in five women on college campuses will experience some form of unwanted sexual contact by the time they graduate.
The Campus Accountability and Safety Act, championed by New York Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, provides greater accountability and transparency from colleges and universities while protecting and empowering victims of campus assaults. Gillibrand says victims are often reluctant to come forward.
"The price of a college education should never include the risk of a sexual assault," she said in a conference call Tuesday.
Gillibrand says the bill puts the onus on campus administrators to work aggressively to solve the problem. It institutions to accurately report cases of sexual violence and provide trained, professional resources for victims to discuss their options confidentially and reach what Gillibrand calls a "dignified path to justice."
It also calls for campuses to establish a plan with local law enforcement to handle such reports. According to federal data, there were 385 forcible sex offenses reported on New York campuses in 2013.
The bipartisan legislation was crafted with input from students, administrators and law enforcement. It holds schools accountable for accurate reporting of campus assaults and penalizes those that don't comply.
