WE ASK CONGRESS TO REQUIRE EVERY FEDERALLY FUNDED COLLEGE TO PROTECT AND SUPPORT SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVORS BY AMENDING TITLE IX.

When a student reports sexual assault to a college employee who must pass the report on, the college should respond promptly and compassionately. Students should not have to navigate campus offices alone, face pressure to report to police, or lose control of their private information when seeking help.

The 2024 Cornell case involving a student and seven fraternity members renewed concern about how colleges respond to sexual assault reports. Reports should be investigated fairly, and students should have a clear, reliable path to support and protection.

We call on Congress to require every public and private college or university receiving federal financial assistance, including federal student aid, to follow the same survivor-centered response process. The law should clearly define which institutions are covered.

WHAT COLLEGES SHOULD DO WHEN A STUDENT REPORTS:

1. Listen, explain privacy, and offer choices. Take the report seriously. Before asking for sensitive details, explain who must receive the information and what can remain confidential. Do not pressure the student to make a police report, participate in an interview, or file a college complaint.
2. Address immediate safety and protect the student. Ask whether the student needs urgent help or feels unsafe around the person accused of the assault. Take prompt steps to restrict unwanted contact and protect the student. Do not make the student change classes or housing, avoid campus, or give up educational opportunities as the default way to stay safe.
3. Offer trained support promptly. Connect the student with medical care, a trained sexual-assault advocate, and a trauma-informed mental-health professional.
4. Connect the student with specialized law enforcement. Promptly contact or connect the student with the appropriate local sexual-assault unit, such as a Special Victims Unit (SVU), or a qualified, trauma-informed sexual-assault investigator. Explain what information may be shared and respect the student’s choice about giving an interview or pursuing a criminal complaint, except when the law requires a specific action. Campus police should not be expected to handle specialized sexual-assault investigations alone.
5. Conduct a separate, fair college investigation. The college should promptly preserve relevant evidence and begin a qualified, impartial investigation. It should not wait for a criminal investigation to end before providing support or taking appropriate steps to protect students.
6. Protect the student’s identity and privacy. Share identifying information only with people who need it to provide support, conduct a required investigation, or meet a legal obligation. Use “Jane Doe” or another pseudonym in public records and proceedings to the fullest extent the law allows. Explain confidentiality limits before sharing information. Confidential counselors and advocates should keep disclosures private except when disclosure is required by law.
7. Keep the student informed and make the process clear. Give the student one clear point of contact. Explain available academic, housing, workplace, and no-contact accommodations. Keep the student updated without unnecessarily asking them to recount what happened repeatedly.

 

Colleges should publish these steps in plain language, train employees to follow them, and face meaningful consequences if they fail to comply.

 

HOW THIS PETITION ADDS TO TITLE IX

Title IX already requires a Title IX coordinator to promptly contact a student who reports covered sexual harassment or assault, discuss supportive measures, and explain the formal complaint process. Possible measures include counseling, class or housing changes, campus escorts, and contact restrictions.

My petition asks Congress to make the response more specific and consistent. It spells out the support students should be offered, requires a connection to specialized law enforcement, makes protecting the student from unwanted contact an explicit priority, and sets clear privacy and communication standards. Title IX allows contact restrictions, including one-way no-contact orders in some circumstances, but those decisions are handled case by case.

A report should trigger help and a coordinated response, not automatic public exposure of the student’s identity. Congress should establish one clear process so every covered college knows what to do and every student knows where to turn.