Education Department rules aim to curb campus sexual assault

The Department of Education issued final rules Friday that aim to reduce sexual assault on college campuses.

The new regulations strengthen the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act by requiring uniform reporting standards of sexual violence on college campuses and providing new accountability measures to schools. Schools will be required to comply by July 1, 2015, or risk losing federal student assistance funding.

{mosads}“The Department has the responsibility to ensure that all of our students have the opportunity to learn and grow in a safe environment,” said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “These new rules require institutions to ensure that students and employees have vital information about crime on campus and the services and protections available to victims if a crime does occur.”

Under current law, colleges are required to disclose crimes that occur on campus, on public property within or near the campus, or in non-campus property owned by the school. The new rule expands this provision by requiring colleges to also record incidents of stalking.

The regulations also include gender identity and national origin as two new categories of bias that serve as the basis for a determination of a hate crime.

Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) applauded the announced rules, saying it will help fight the “scourge of sexual assaults” that are too common on college campuses. But he said more should be done.

“Victims of sexual violence shouldn’t have to further suffer through a maze of bureaucracy and confusing reporting standards,” Casey said. “While these new regulations are a major step forward, much more needs to be done to protect victims of sexual assault on our college campuses.”