Private Colleges in New York might soon have to comply with the sexual assault rules and guidelines implemented on SUNY campuses last year.
Governor Cuomo previewed the proposal which will be part of his 2015 agenda. Dorchen Leidholdt is legal director at Sanctuary for Families, a state violence prevention organization. One of her legal assistants suffered an assault like one-in-four college women face.
“She had been brutally raped on the campus of her very prestigious private college, to the point that she had suffered internal hemorrhaging...only to encounter indifference from the administration , more intent on protecting its reputation than protecting her safety.”
Private colleges might be more reticent to publicize sexual assaults…which go unreported as much as 90-percent of the time. Cuomo would mandate private colleges to follow the SUNY model which includes a clear consent – a 'yes-means-yes' policy. That means an accused attacker couldn’t use a defense that they thought they had consent from an incapable partner who might be drunk or had a medical issue. It also includes amnesty to help a woman report a sexual assault.
“The victim is in a situation where she may be subject to other charges for alcohol or drugs. This law would provide amnesty to the victim or the bystander for any related offenses, which I believe are really just tactics to stop the victim from coming forward and pursuing her rights.”
The plan would further make it possible for victims of sexual violence to report to campus, local and state police. Locally, Syracuse University’s Sexual Assault policy steers victims to campus security, and protects a victim unable to provide consent. LeMoyneCollege's policy also suggests reporting abuse to campus security or health officials. Neither explicitly promotes a ‘yes-means-yes’ required-consent policy.
Cuomo has to get the approval of the state legislature. He says if women speak loudly, they can influence lawmakers to act. He adds if New York passes the policy, mandating the protections and a 'Victim's Bill of Rights, other states will follow suit.
