The Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault has joined with the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence and the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence in
telling Congress that we won't accept legislation designed to roll back critical protections for survivors on campus. Alongside this nationwide coalition of service providers, advocates, and other stakeholders, MCASA opposes two pieces of federal legislation.
The Safe Campus Act of 2015 (H.R. 3403) and the Fair Campus Act of 2015 (H.R. 3408) are regressive policy initiatives that threaten to erode the protections of Title IX and the progress made towards ending sexual violence on campuses. Schools can and must take action to combat sexual violence on their campuses, and current laws such as Title IX require them to do so to protect their students' civil rights. Schools are in a critical position to provide immediate support measures and accommodations, since schools can provide remedies such as class schedule or housing changes that are necessary for survivors to complete their education. This legislation ignores the importance of schools' response measures and conflates the roles of colleges and universities with that of the criminal justice system.
In the words of the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence,
"We all want a robust criminal justice response to rape, but all systems where our young people learn and grow and live—communities of faith, neighborhoods, the military, schools, and institutions of higher learning—must address this tragic problem that traumatizes so many."
MCASA continues to promote victim-centered practices that ensure fair and equitable treatment for all. Whether on a college campus or in the broader community, survivors of sexual violence everywhere deserve justice.
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