[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 120 (Tuesday, July 17, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H6267-H6268]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             THE 12TH WOMAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Poe) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Meghan is a fourth-generation Texas 
A&M Aggie. Her decision to attend the prestigious school was never a 
question in her mind. It was an amazing experience, until it wasn't.
  One morning, while serving as a tutor in the athletic department, a 
member of the Fighting Aggies football team twice her size exposed 
himself to her not 2 feet away, making sexual advances toward Meghan 
and becoming aggressive. Terrified and shocked, she abruptly left the 
room, trying to remain calm as he followed her. Unbeknownst to Meghan, 
her assailant had done the same thing to another tutor just hours 
before.
  Mr. Speaker, Meghan feels she did not get justice against her 
attacker. Instead, she tells me, she was failed by a university that 
was not totally committed to protecting victims.
  Meghan was scared of the upcoming process, scared to go back to work, 
terrified she might run into this individual again.
  Before the hearing, the university claimed she did not need a lawyer; 
the assailant wasn't facing any criminal charges. So she didn't hire a 
lawyer. But she received no notice that her assailant had hired a 
lawyer.
  Months later, Meghan's assailant was found not responsible for 
exposing himself to both tutors, with the panel stating it appeared he 
had a skin condition and simply couldn't control himself.
  The response she received was nothing short of appalling. The school 
said: Sorry, Meghan, that you were offended, but there is nothing else 
we can do.
  So she appealed the case. She still believed in the university and 
that the university would provide some justice for her. At the appeals 
hearing, she was informed that the charge against her attacker had been 
downgraded from sexual exploitation to sexual harassment; therefore, 
she was removed from the remainder of the hearing.
  Doesn't that seem odd, Mr. Speaker?
  Also, no one from the university title IX office ever contacted her. 
She never received any information regarding what sanctions her 
assailant received, if any. Of course, Mr. Speaker, her assailant was 
allowed back onto the football team.
  Meghan felt abandoned by the university, and she thought the accused 
was protected due to his special status.
  As a former judge, I agree with Meghan that universities must put the 
safety and care of sexual assault victims first, make it a priority. 
Together with Carolyn Maloney and Jackie Speier, we have introduced 
several pieces of bipartisan legislation to end sexual assault on 
campuses.
  First, the Bipartisan Campus Accountability and Safety Act, 
introduced by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, does many things, 
including establishing a mandatory victim advocate on campus and 
ensuring assault situations like Meghan's do not occur.
  Second, the HALT Campus Sexual Violence Act, which will be introduced 
this week by Congresswoman Jackie Speier and me, makes sure that the 
universities do not shirk their legal responsibilities when responding 
to sexual assault crimes.

[[Page H6268]]

  Texas A&M is not alone in this fight to provide a voice for victims. 
According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, each year 
one in five women will be assaulted while in college. That is a 
staggering statistic.
  Mr. Speaker, Meghan said it best: ``A&M has a chance to be fearless 
on every front and to be fearless in the face of such horrible things 
that are happening to victims.''
  I applaud Meghan for having the courage to come forward and publicly 
tell her story to the world. Other victims who have been suffering in 
silence have been inspired to come forward and rally the cause, forming 
an organization called the 12th Woman, a group of determined women 
dedicated to stopping sexual assault on our university campuses.
  This is not a question of loyalty and pride in Texas A&M. It is a 
call to action. The 12th Woman is relentless in bringing change to the 
way universities address sexual assault not just at A&M, but across the 
United States.
  Mr. Speaker, Congress needs to listen to Meghan and her band of 
sisters and do what is necessary to make sure our universities are safe 
from sexual assault on campus.
  And that is just the way it is.

                          ____________________