ICYMI: Today’s Des Moines Register editorial praises bipartisan legislation to combat campus sexual assault that Senator Grassley is helping lead through the United States Senate. Senator Grassley is an original cosponsor of the “Campus Accountability and Safety Act,” which would reform the way colleges and universities address and report incidents of sexual assault that occur on their campuses, and safeguard both survivors and accused students.
Further details on the legislation can be found here. A Q&A with Senator Grassley on the topic can be found here.
Editorial: “We need true picture of campus sexual assault”
Des Moines Register, 4/14/17
“All of us have so much to learn about sexual assault on college campuses. Why are complaints rising? How can we prevent the crimes? Just how big is the problem?”
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“Members of Congress are also hearing the call for more transparency and accountability on campus. A bipartisan group of eight senators, including Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, have introduced the Campus Accountability and Safety Act. ‘For the first time, students at every college and university in America would be surveyed about their experience with sexual violence to get an accurate picture of this problem,’ its sponsors say. The bill would also require specialized training for campus employees and would stiffen penalties for violations of the Clery Act, among other measures.
“’Our bill has provisions to ensure that colleges treat sexual assault cases with the seriousness they deserve,’ Grassley said.
“Only then will survivors of sexual assault begin to feel more comfortable reporting crimes against them, and only then will we get a true picture of the problem.”
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