[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 25 (Thursday, February 8, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H977]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    COLLEGES SHOULD BE PREPARED TO DEAL WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIMS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Poe) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, when Anna first set foot on the campus 
of Hobart and William Smith Colleges in 2014, she immediately fell in 
love with the school. Nestled deep in the scenic New York Finger Lakes, 
the small liberal arts college appeared serene and safe.
  On that beautiful campus, however, was hiding a much more dangerous 
reality. Unfortunately, Anna would discover the terrible truth just two 
weeks after she arrived.
  On the second Saturday of the semester, Anna was eager to go out and 
meet more of her fellow classmates. As the night went on, Anna got 
separated from her friends. When they received a text from her telling 
them that she was scared of someone she had met and didn't know what to 
do, they began frantically searching for her.
  It wasn't until the early-morning hours that they finally found her, 
bent over a pool table with a football player appearing to sexually 
assault her. Her friends immediately took her back to the dormitory. 
Anna was very ill, pale, and disoriented. Worried that she had been 
drugged and raped, her friends called the paramedics.
  After assessing Anna, the paramedics knew she needed to be examined 
by a sexual assault forensic examiner, commonly called a SAFE. SAFEs 
are specially trained to deal with sexual assault victims and collect 
forensic evidence through rape kits. Especially in cases where the 
victim has been drugged or was inebriated, forensic evidence can 
provide important evidence against an attacker.
  Anna was lucky that the paramedics knew she must be treated by a 
SAFE, but unfortunately, many victims at colleges are never given this 
option. To ensure that all victims can have this care, I have 
introduced legislation that would require a hospital to provide access 
to a SAFE and a university to provide access to a SAFE who is properly 
trained to provide care sensitive to the trauma a rape victim has been 
experiencing or to have a plan in place to quickly get a victim to a 
nearby hospital.
  The bill, named the Megan Rondini Act in honor of a college rape 
victim who was denied proper post-rape treatment at a hospital, will 
ensure victims can access the care they need.
  After the medical exam, Anna returned to school and reported the 
attack. She was shocked, however, when the school reacted with 
skepticism and indifference. Without giving Anna any time to prepare or 
even get the results of her rape kit, the school immediately held a 
hearing to adjudicate the case. There was no campus victim advocate to 
assist her and speak up for her during the disciplinary hearing. The 
panelists spoke over her, interrupted her, and asked her all types of 
accusatory questions.
  So, just 12 days after the assault, the school cleared the accused of 
all charges. Devastated, Anna took leave to recover at home. And while 
Anna eventually did return to finish her degree, she never believed 
justice against her attacker was achieved.
  All victims of sexual assault on campus should have access to a 
victim advocate. Advocates can offer counseling, legal advice, 
assistance during hearings, and emotional support. Perhaps if Anna had 
access to this vital service, she would have gotten the justice that 
she was seeking.
  Mr. Speaker, if colleges and universities choose to adjudicate sexual 
assault on campus independent of law enforcement investigation, then 
victims should have access to a campus victim advocate who is trained 
under Title IX. This is only fair. Schools must be prepared to deal 
with sexual assault victims and must have access to a SAFE, and they 
must have access to a victim advocate. Otherwise, victims will never 
know whether justice is served for them. And justice, Mr. Speaker, is 
supposed to be what we do, even on university campuses.
  And that is the just the way it is.

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