[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 111 (Friday, July 22, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4843-S4844]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CAMPUS SEXUAL VIOLENCE ELIMINATION ACT

  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about legislation I 
have introduced, the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act, or Campus 
SaVE Act, and to urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  I want to start by sharing some deeply disturbing statistics with 
you:
  Between 20 and 25 percent of all female undergraduates in America are 
victims of sexual assault or attempted sexual assault each year.
  Most cases of sexual assault occur between acquaintances--between 85 
and 90 percent of reported sexual assaults on college women are 
perpetrated by someone they know, and nearly half of such sexual 
assaults occur on a date.
  Young adults age 18 and 19 experience the highest rates of stalking 
among any age group.
  As the father of four daughters, one of whom who just graduated from 
college and another who is in college now, these statistics are 
terrifying. But I was even more distressed to learn that many of these 
victims never come forward. Those who do often do not get the support 
and the assistance they need to heal and to be able to continue their 
education safely and successfully.
  The Campus SaVE Act will address many of these issues by setting out 
a clear framework to promote transparency and accountability. The 
legislation consolidates existing polices under both the Jeanne Clery 
Act and title IX to ensure that institutions of higher education have 
comprehensive procedures in place to address domestic violence, dating 
violence, sexual assault and stalking.
  Institutions of higher education are already required to report 
certain crime statistics as a result of the Clery Act, a law championed 
by our former colleague, Senator Specter, after Jeanne Clery was raped 
and murdered in her college dorm room in 1989.
  But only one-third of U.S. colleges correctly report their crime 
statistics, leading to misclassification and underrepresentation of 
attempted and completed instances of sexual assault. They are not 
currently required to break down their data on different types of sex 
offenses, leading to confusion and unclear data about reports of 
domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.
  The Campus SaVE Act will also address the need for education and 
awareness in the entire campus community. Currently, less than half of 
all colleges and universities offer any sexual assault prevention 
training; the Campus SaVE Act will require that these institutions 
provide prevention and awareness programs for all incoming students and 
new employees.
  This education is essential. Many students attending college are away 
from home for the first time and are still in their teenage years and 
learning about adult relationships. We cannot assume that they know 
what dating violence is; we cannot assume that they know what 
constitutes consent in a sexual relationship.
  A victim also may not know what to do when something bad happens: 
less than 5 percent of rapes or attempted rapes are reported, and fewer 
than half of colleges and universities spell out policies for filing 
criminal charges and campus reports. However, when students know how to 
report victimization and how their school will respond, students are 
more likely to report instances of sexual assault or attempted sexual 
assault.
  Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA, recently saw students hold a sit-
in for 3\1/2\ days, displaying their frustration over the college's 
weak sexual assault policy. One student remarked, ``We don't have a 
consolidated document that runs you through what you should do and also 
allows you to understand that there are federal laws that protect 
you.''
  This is exactly what the Campus SaVE Act would require. It sets 
standards for institutions so that everyone in the community 
understands their rights and responsibilities. Fortunately, the 
administration at Dickinson College later agreed to strengthen its 
policies relating to sexual assault.
  Under the Campus SaVE Act, students will know that if they report 
being a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, 
or stalking, they will receive an explanation of their rights. They 
need to know they have a right to report these offenses to law 
enforcement authorities. They need to know that the college or 
university has an obligation to help them seek a protective order, if 
they want such an order. They need to know that they will receive 
contact information for the resources available to them, such as 
counseling and legal assistance. Finally, they need to know about 
safety planning such as changing their living arrangements, class 
schedule, work schedule, and travel options so that they feel safe in 
their environment.
  The bill will also ensure that these incidents are properly reported 
by making institutions include in their annual security reports 
statistics on domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and 
stalking that were reported to campus police or local police agencies.
  Many colleges and universities are doing this right: they have 
procedures in place to deal with domestic partner violence, dating 
violence, sexual assault, and stalking; they provide support to 
victims, and they have prevention programs to educate the community 
about these terrible acts.
  In another case in Pennsylvania this year, a student at Kutztown 
University told authorities that she had been raped on campus by a male 
student. After this young woman reported the assault, a second female 
student came out and said that she had been raped a few weeks earlier. 
These two instances of young women standing up and reporting their 
assaults pulled others out of the shadows. Another two female students 
went to authorities with reports of sexual assault. All four women knew 
their attackers. In response to

[[Page S4844]]

the rape and sexual assault reports, the university put a notice on 
their Web site and sent e-mails to students, faculty, and staff about 
the occurrences.
  Kutztown University and Dickinson College have taken concrete steps 
to improve their responses, but much remains to be done. Congress 
cannot legislate a campus culture, but we can pass legislation to help 
institute the processes and procedures that will educate students in 
order to prevent intimate partner violence and provide support for 
victims who do come forward, which will encourage other victims to 
speak up and seek help.
  Colleges and universities must do everything possible to protect 
students from violence and provide information about students' rights 
and the resources available to help them.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the Campus Sexual 
Violence Elimination Act so that our children can go to college without 
fear and those who violate campus policies relating to intimate partner 
violence will be held accountable for their actions.

                          ____________________