Story by Haley Penrod, Contributing writer
Students Active for Ending Rape condemned the Trump administration for its proposal to change Title IX policies that would affect the way students report sexual violence.
SAFER sent a letter directly to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos on Feb. 1 about their proposal. The changes could potentially decrease reporting and safety. It could also cause students to drop out because of victimization, according to SAFER’s letter.
Abigail Cox, coordinator of the Women’s Center, said no changes have been made yet, but if they do, they won’t go into effect anytime soon.
“At this point, there is only a proposal,” Cox said. “There was an open comment period to allow the public to respond to the proposed changes and over 100,000 comments were submitted. The committee must now review and respond to all of those comments, which could take many months, if not years, to complete.”
Even though these changes would affect federal policies, Cox said individual entities can implement higher standards to help survivors.
“It is also important to remember that these policies are simply the minimum standard that is required by the federal government,” Cox said. “Individual entities can set the bar higher in terms of how they respond to and support survivors. It is up to each institution to ensure that best practices are used and trauma-informed procedures are in place. This can be accomplished regardless of what the final changes look like through collaborative work and thoughtful consideration.”
SAFER hopes to raise awareness of the proposed changes.
“Rather than maintain policies that make a positive difference, the United States Department of Education is moving forward with changes that make campuses less safe, hurt survivors and reduce the responsibility for universities and colleges to provide safe learning environments,” Danielle Christenson, SAFER policy director, said.
College campuses could have major policy changes if the proposal is pushed forward, making it harder to report sexual violence.
Rebecca Potts, sophomore from Madisonville, Kentucky, said she doesn’t think the policy changes are a good idea.
“Students are already reluctant to report sexual violence,” Potts said. “This is going to make that issue worse.”
SAFER combats sexual violence through student movements.
“As we know, knowledge is power,” Christenson said. “If more students understand the myriad of issues surrounding sexual assault and ways to reduce this violence, they can ensure that campus and government officials are doing everything they can to make colleges and universities safer, healthier and more supportive for everyone.”
Read SAFER’s full letter below.