Del. bill aims to address sexual assault reporting on college campuses
A bill in the Delaware General Assembly meant to hold colleges and universities accountable for their response to victims of campus sexual assault is getting a bit of a re-wording.
The goal of the bill is to make sure victims of sexual violence on college campuses are fully aware of what can be done after they report the crime. Now as far as the wording, in the original bill, if a victim reported a sexual assault to a “responsible employee” at a Delaware institution the employee would be required to tell police, even if the victim did not say it was okay. The new version filed Thursday, would give more power to the victim because the employee would only tell police if the victim wanted them to do so. Also, the employee would have to inform the victim immediately that that was the case and that it was up to them whether police get involved
Under the bill, state institutions would have to report to the General Assembly annual sexual assault data including how they were handled by staff. The bill also outlines penalties for schools that don’t meet certain benchmarks for teaching staff and students about the rules and resources for victims.
A University of Delaware spokewoman says, in a statement to 47 ABC, “We commend the legislature for focusing its attention on the incredibly important topic of sexual misconduct on college campuses. The University of Delaware is deeply committed to maintaining a safe campus for everyone and is devoting a lot of attention and resources to the issue of sexual misconduct. We look forward to collaborating with legislators as this bill works its way through the legislative process.
Information on University of Delaware sexual misconduct resources, support services and policies are available at udel.edu/sexualmisconduct.”
A statement from Carlos Holmes of Delaware state University mirrored UD’s saying “At Delaware State University, we are committed to educating our students about issues of sexual assault and sexual violence, the pervasive impact these events can have upon their victims and the various resources available to victims whenever these offenses occur. The University has further demonstrated its commitment to providing a comfortable environment for victims to come forward by recently signing onto the “Start by Believing” public awareness campaign for sexual assault victims.
Our robust support system of advocates and law-enforcement officers, specifically trained to help victims of sexual assault, has previously garnered praise from the sponsors of House Bill 1 and follows the mandates of prevailing federal law. We welcome the opportunity to engage our state legislators in constructive discussions regarding what federal law already requires of institutions of Higher Education and how state law can complement our existing efforts to ensure that our campus is safe for everyone.”
47 ABC also reached out to representatives from Wesley College and Delaware Tech., they both say they are aware of the bill, but declined to comment at this time.
