Sexual assault survivors should never be forced into a small range of options when it comes to reporting their incidences.

Under Title IX, survivors are able to choose whether to report sexual assault to their school, local law enforcement or both. But the Safe Campus Act would require survivors to report their attacks to law enforcement before disciplinary action can be taken by universities. This limits the range of choices people have in reporting sexual assault.

Although the specifics of the bill are up for debate, the proposed legislation’s narrow approach brings to light a larger concept in institutional approaches to combatting sexual assault: the more options, levels of privacy and channels in which survivors can report their experiences, the better.

Rather than pigeonhole students into direct courses of action, it must be understood that forcing survivors to resort to one method fails to acknowledge the individual experiences. Not everyone may feel comfortable with one manner of reporting.

Though introduced with the intention of leading to more prosecutions by having law enforcement secure evidence early in an investigation, the bill may prove counterproductive due to the fact that leaving students with the limited option of going to the police may deter survivors from reporting assaults at all.

If the proposal moves forward, it should integrate an additional step that would consist of more sensitive handling of the process. Reporting sexual assaults can be a very emotional process, and including alternative approaches for survivors will allow room for more possibilities that may best coincide with the different ways in which people cope with trauma.

Sexual assault groups have argued that requiring police intervention is an insensitive approach to the issue for the mental repercussions it would have on sexual assault victims, which has been a major reason for backlash against the bill.

The Safe Campus Act has faced opposition from student governments, U.S. politicians and organizations that work with sexual assault survivors. A Change.org petition against the bill has garnered more than 20,700 supporters since it was created two months ago.

Moving forward, the Student Association at Syracuse University should look to explore whether or not it will form an opinion on the bill. Taking a stance on the Safe Campus Act would be an opportunity for SA to broaden its horizons on an issue that affects student life on a national scale, and potentially act as a contributing force in the push for options to remain available for sexual assault survivors.

As national initiatives continue in efforts to curb sexual assault on college campuses, it must be a consistent goal for lawmakers and institutions alike to maintain a wide variety of options and resources for survivors in reporting sexual assault.

Published on November 10, 2015 at 1:28 am

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