Addressing the College Sexual Violence Issue
This week I filed a new piece of priority legislation that deals with the issues of sexual assault and sexual violence occurring in our state’s colleges and universities. Senate Bill 1085 would help create a standardized agreement between higher education institutions and law enforcement agencies on how best to prevent, resolve and respond to violent sexual issues. These crimes include sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking, all of which plague thousands of Missouri students every year.
Sexual assault and violence is a serious problem within the American college system – and one that needs to be addressed by universities and local law enforcement. Senate Bill 1085 is needed to improve the effectiveness of anti-violence education and preparation. This legislation would also ensure that the Missouri education system is brought up to par with accepted professional practices for preventing and handling these types of terrible events.
A 2014 report, commissioned by U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill through the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Financial and Contracting Oversight, assessed just how well American universities reported, investigated and adjudicated sexual violence. The report surveyed 440 four-year institutions, conducted interviews and held discussions to learn how well our country’s universities complied with the law and professional best practices. The results were grim. Here are some of the most shocking findings:
- Less than 5 percent of rape victims attending college report the attack to law enforcement.
- Only 16 percent of the institutions surveyed conducted campus climate surveys, one of the best methods to determine a sexual assault issue within a campus.
- Only 51 percent of the surveyed institutions provided an assault report hotline for victims to utilize, and only 44 percent allowed reports to be filed online.
- More than 20 percent of the colleges provided no sexual assault response training to faculty members and staff. More than 30 percent provided none for students.
- More than 40 percent of institutions violated federal law in the past five years by not investigating a single case of sexual violence. Federal law requires every instance to be investigated.
- Law enforcement officials at 30 percent of the institutions surveyed received no training on how to respond to sexual assault reports.
These are just a few of the report’s findings, but they show the scale of the need for an improved system of dealing with sexual assault within our higher education system. My Senate bill would do just this by requiring universities and law enforcement to discuss and enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on how best to deal with issues of sexual violence.
Specifically, SB 1085 requires the MOU to contain detailed policies and protocols regarding sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking involving students as defined in the federal Higher Education Act. My legislation would also set out procedural requirements for the reporting of offenses, protocol for establishing jurisdiction and criteria for determining when an offense must be reported to law enforcement.
This legislation is common sense when it comes to our students’ safety and sense of well-being. Missouri’s universities must be protected houses of education – places where our state’s youth can better themselves through knowledge. We need to be doing better to make sure they have the safest environment possible in which to learn and accomplish their goals. Through my work as chair of the Senate Education Committee and by proposing legislation aimed at bettering the quality of life for Missouri students of all ages, I pledge to continue the fight for a better education future throughout my remaining time as your state senator.
As always, please feel free to contact me or my staff with any questions or concerns at any time. We look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions and trying to answer any questions you may have. You can reach us by phone at 866-277-0882 (toll-free) or (573) 751-2272, or by fax at (573) 526-7381.
Senator David Pearce serves Caldwell, Carroll, Howard, Johnson, Lafayette, Livingston, Ray and Saline counties in the 21st State Senatorial District.