Dive Brief:
- The Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act became law with the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, updating Clery laws for campus crime reporting.
- The Campus SaVE Act requires campuses to offer ongoing prevention and awareness programming surrounding domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, including bystander education, which educates men and women about their role in prevention.
- The legislation obligates colleges and universities to provide, in writing, information about student victims’ rights on and off campus following reports of such violence, and it requires institutions to explain their own enforcement responsibilities.
Dive Insight:
The Campus SaVE Act has been heralded by a wide range of advocacy groups fighting for safer college and university environments. Data estimates show one in five women on college campuses are sexually assaulted before they graduate, and they are more likely to be assaulted than their peers who do not go on to higher education.
The new legislation added Clery Act reporting requirements, forcing institutions to include statements about policy and procedures surrounding domestic and dating violence, stalking, and sexual assault reporting, awareness, and prevention in their annual security reports. It also adds stalking and domestic violence incidents to the list of mandatory reporting categories. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) spoke out against the Clery Act and its onerous reporting requirements at the Campus Safety National Forum last week, favoring simplification.