Policy Update: Sexual Assault Issue On Campuses - Hearing in the House of Representatives

Congress is back and focusing on a myriad of budget issues; 2015 budget expires at the end of this month.

On Thursday, September 10 at 10:00 a.m., the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, chaired by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), will hold a hearing entitled, “Preventing and Responding to Sexual Assault on College Campuses.” The hearing will take place in room 2261 of the Rayburn House Office Building.  There will be a live broadcast of the hearing, accessible through www.house.gov.

Through the Clery Act and Title IX, the federal government works with colleges and universities to combat crime and sexual violence on campus. Institutions must comply with a number of policies to help promote the safety of students, such as collecting and disseminating campus crime data, defining procedures to address crimes if they occur, and requiring annual training for school officials who investigate sexual assault allegations. In recent years, the administration has established additional preventive and responsive procedures that institutions must follow. Members of Congress have also introduced legislative proposals intended to improve protections for college students.

As the committee continues working to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, members at tomorrow’s hearing will discuss policies that help colleges and universities prevent and respond to sexual assault on campus.

Testifying:

Ms. Dana Scaduto
General Counsel
Dickinson College
Carlisle, PA

Dr. Penny Rue
Vice President for Campus Life
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC

Ms. Lisa M. Maatz, M.A.
Vice President for Government Relations
American Association of University Women
Washington, D.C.

Mr. Joseph Cohn
Legislative and Policy Director
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
Philadelphia, PA