A legislative proposal by Sen. Judy Schwank dealing with sexual assault on college campuses in Pennsylvania took a positive step forward on April 14.
Schwank’s “PA Safe Campuses Act” received unanimous approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“Events like the recent one involving Kappa Delta Rho fraternity at Penn State and similar reports from across the county prove again and again how necessary it is for schools to be more proactive in addressing sexual crimes,” Sen. Schwank said following the committee’s vote to send Senate Bill 202 to the floor. “We know that only about 12 percent of campus rapes are reported to police, but every one of them leaves behind a wounded victim.
“The Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote today shows that lawmakers understand the problem and we need to do more to make school a safe experience, regardless of gender.”
Under Schwank’s legislation, all post-secondary schools, colleges and universities would be required to adopt policies and establish programs to make students, staff and officials aware of the risks of sexual assault and intimate partner violence.
If signed into law, campuses would be mandated to annually report the number of instances of sexual assault and intimate partner violence on campus, and the security policies and procedures they have established to deal with these issues.
Reports would be public records and they would be required to be posted on the school’s official website.
Schools would also be required to have sexual assault and intimate partner violence policies to ensure that students, employees, volunteers and officials are aware of the rights of victims and responsibilities of witnesses, and to ensure that instances involving minors are immediately reported.
“Existing public disclosure requirements usually do not bring victims forward, so others are never really made aware of the potential risks and dangers at the school they are interested in attending, visiting, or working,” Schwank said.
Schwank proposed a similar bill, SB 337, during the General Assembly’s prior two-year session.
