The Safe Campus Act at its core is designed to address a deep, systemic problem we all have with the prevalence of sexual assault and violence on our college campuses. As a university professional who has served as an advisor to student organizations, including a chapter of Sigma Sigma Sigma, and debate coach for our university, I have had the unfortunate honor of working with students who have found themselves victimized over the past five years. Their stories are tragic, and complex. Any bill that treats them as uniform is misguided. I strongly believe that the requirement that campuses not be allowed to pursue remedial action without congruent legal action removes a fundamental right sexual assault victims should have to protect themselves in their academy, and disables the university in its responsibility to aid in that protection. 

Research is on our side: mandating criminal reporting does not work. The re-victimization of a woman or man whose safety has already been violated is appalling, and the decision to pursue criminal charges should be an individual one. If they are coerced- if they must report to find reprieve- it is not consent. Justice should restore their consent, not violate it further. There are many legitimate reasons a woman would chose not to report. Sometimes it's for fear of reprisal- be it by the accused's friends or from society who has a tendency to shamefully blame the victim. Other times it is because they fear larger concerns of authority involvement- discrimination, deportation, or emotional cost of a trial. In these instances, women will forgo the opportunity to seek protection and guidance from their campus mentors, like myself who are bound as a mandatory reporter, or their campus police. When faced with a choice between a system that encourages women to seek protection and a system that is primarily concerned with the prosecution of the accused, I believe as women we should support the protection of that individual first. I could never look at one of my students who comes to me crying, scared, and confused about what to do and tell her that I, and this university, can only help if she's willing to report it to the police. It is inhumane.

Regardless, solving for under-reporting of sexual assault, as this bill aims to do, only solves for the symptom of a larger cultural problem, rather than its cause. Better alternatives to the Safe Campus Act exist, and there is much we can do as an organization to move our women ever forward. Look to the Campus Safety and Accountability Act that is widely supported by organizations working for victims, or the efficacy of Safe Dates and Shifting Boundaries programs as evidence-based strategies for the prevention of sexual violence (referenced in CDC papers to the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Violence, 2014). Endorsing this act is not one of them.

I respectfully ask that the Executive Council of Sigma Sigma Sigma reconsider the Safe Campus and Fair Campus Act, the views of its members, and withdraw our organization's support.