January17,2015

CarryThatWeightrespondstoGovernorCuomos1/17announcementoncampussexualassault

WearegladtoseeGovernorCuomotakingconcreteactiontodaytosupportstudentsandcreate
safercampusesacrossNewYorkState.Sexualanddatingviolenceoncollegecampusesisaserious
andurgentissueinourstate:Outofthe95collegesanduniversitiesaroundthenationcurrentlybeing
investigatedbytheDepartmentofEducationforfailingtomeetthebasicrequirementsofTitleIX,
twelvearefromNewYorkState.Studentsateverycollegeinthestateareaffectedbysexualanddating
violenceandcontinuetobefailedbytheirschools.Itisimperativethatourschoolsbeheldtohigher
standardsofpreventionandresponse.
Studentsandsurvivorshaveworkedtirelesslytobringthisissuetolightandpressureour
schoolstodomoretoprotectandsupportstudents.Wearefightingforallstudentstoreceive
comprehensiveconsentandpreventioneducation,increasedresourcesforsurvivorsofviolence,and
fairandtransparentadjudicationprocessesthatholdperpetratorsaccountable.HereattheCarryThat
WeightCampaign,weworktotrainandsupportanationalnetworkofstudentsurvivorsandactivists
workingtoimprovetheircampusespolicies,includingstudentsateightcollegesinNewYork.Butwe
cannotdothisworkalone.WewelcomeGovernorCuomoscommitmenttoaddressingcampussexual
anddatingviolenceasapowerfuladditiontotheongoinggrassrootsactivismofstudentsandsurvivors
aroundthestate.
TheGovernorhaslaidoutaplanforauniform,statewideapproachtosexualviolencepolicy
oncollegecampuses.Someelementsofthisplanareexcellent.Animmunitypolicyforstudentswould
ensurethatstudentscangethelpwithoutfearingthattheywillbepunishedfordrinkingorusingdrugs
atthetimeoftheirassault.Mandatorypreventionprogramswouldhelpstudentsunderstandwhat
affirmativeconsentandhealthyrelationshipslooklike,andbeawareofcampuspoliciesandresources.
Standardizedpoliciesforadjudicatingsexualanddatingviolencecaseswouldhelppreventschools
fromsweepingthisviolenceundertherug,astheycontinuetodoacrossNewYorkState.The
ConfidentialityandReportingProtocolwillgivecollegesthatcurrentlylackaframeworktobe
compliantwiththeCleryActameanstodoresolvethis,andensurethatallstudentshavetheabilityto
confidentiallydiscloseactsofsexualviolence.AndtheSexualAssaultVictimsBillofRights,amodel
ourcampaignhasadoptedandispushingforoncampusesacrossthecountry,wouldhelpprotect
studentswhoseektoreporttheirassault.

However,thisproposalneedstoberevisedandstrengthenedsignificantlybeforeitaddresses
theissuesstudentsarefacingoncollegecampuses.Inordertodothis,itisimperativethatthe
Governorworktoincludestudentvoicesintheongoingdevelopmentofthislegislation.Todo
otherwiseisamajoromissionofthestakeholderswhoaremostaffectedbyandwhomostacutely
needthislegislation.Studentshavepropelledthisissuetonationalattentionbysharingourpersonal,

painfulstories,andbydedicatingourselvestoimprovingcampuspolicies.Weknowintimatelywhat
ourcampusesneedandhowourschoolsarecurrentlyfailing.Forthislegislationtobeeffective,itmust
bedevelopedincollaborationwiththediversestudentsandstudentadvocacyorganizationsthathave
ledthismovement,includingtheCarryThatWeightcampaignandourNewYorkmemberschools.We
stronglyurgeGovernorCuomotomeaningfullyengagewithsurvivors,studentactivists,andnational
studentadvocacyorganizationstoimprovehisexistingproposalsandadvancethestrongestpossible
legislation.
Thereareanumberofissuesinthecurrentproposalthatmustbeaddressed.Forexample,it
currentlylacksaviablemechanismforensuringcompliancewiththenewregulationsandholding
schoolsaccountableiftheyfailtocomply.Thepotentialconsequenceforfailuretocomplyisa
revocationoffundinghowever,theStateofNewYorkisunlikelytoeverstripaschooloffinancial
support.Thiswouldprimarilyharmstudentsandisnotaneffectivewaytoholdcollegesaccountable.
(Forcomparison,thesameconsequenceisbuiltintoTitleIXlegislationandhasneveroncebeen
applied.Thisessentiallymeansthatschoolsareallowedtoviolatetheselawswithimpunity.This
proposalseemstoreplicatethatalreadyfailingapproach.)Itisnotenoughtosimplyenumeratethe
rightsofsurvivors,mandateorientationtraining,andcreateuniformguidelines.Thestatewidepolicy
willbemeaninglessshoulditfailtoincludeacompliancemechanism.Theremustbeaviable
procedurethatworkstoensurethesestandardsaremetandenforcesconsequencesforcollegesand
collegeofficialsthatfailtoupholdtheirresponsibilitytotheirownstudents.
Thepreventionprogramsmandatedmustbemorecomprehensivethancurrentlyproposed
researchindicatesthatshort,singularworkshopsdolittleornothingtoactuallychangestudentattitudes
andpreventviolenceoncampuses.Schoolsshouldberequiredtopubliclyreleasetheresultsofthe
requiredclimatesurveysothatstudents,parents,andstateofficialscanassessschoolscommitmentto
safetyandholdschoolsaccountableforimprovingbasedontheresultsofthesurveys.TheBillof
Rightsandstandardizedreportingproceduresmustbemorespecificabouthowtoinvestigatecases,
conducthearings,andpunishstudentsfoundresponsibleforsexualassaultordatingviolence.
Additionally,weareconcernedaboutthisproposalexpandingtheroleoflawenforcementon
campuses.ManystudentsdonottrusttheNYPDorcriminaljusticesystemtosensitively,competently,
oreffectivelyhandlesexualassaultcases.Thislackofconfidenceisparticularlysevereformany
LGBTQandminoritystudents.WearedeeplyconcernedthatincreasingtheNYPDsinvolvementin
campusreportingprotocolswoulddetersurvivorsfromreportingorcomingforwardtoseekhelp.Al
JazeerareportsthatwhenaColumbiastudenttriedtoreportherrapetotheNYPDlastyear,shewas
harassedandmistreated,andtoldbyanofficerForeverysinglerapeIvehad,Ivehad20thatare
totalbullshit.Heaccusedheroflyingaboutbeingraped.Manyothersurvivorshavereportedsimilarly
horrificexperiences.Lawenforcementagenciesarenottheappropriatebodiestotraincollegestaffon
respondingtosexualviolenceuntiltheyimprovetheirownprotocols.Theoptionsavailableto
survivorsthroughtheircollegesanduniversitiesmustcontinuetoexistasaseparateoption,andshould
nottakeasubordinatepositiontocriminaljusticeoptions.
AteverycollegeanduniversityinNewYorkState,studentsurgentlyneedsafercampuses,
increasedresources,andmoreresponsiveadministrations.GovernorCuomosproposedlegislationis
animportantopportunitytomeettheseneedsinNewYorkStateforsurvivorsandforallcollege
students.Itmustnotbemissed.Wehavethechancetobeanationwideleaderinendingsexualand
datingviolenceoncollegecampuses,butthiswillonlyhappenifpowerfulpublicofficialsworkhand

inhandwithstudentactivistsandsurvivors.WecallonGovernorCuomotoworkwithusandtoensure
thatthevoicesofsurvivorsarecentralizedinthisnewproposal.

TheCarryThatWeightCampaign
www.carryingtheweighttogether.com
www.facebook.com/carryingtheweighttogether
@CarryTogether

Contacts:
ZoeRidolfiStarrCoDirectoroftheCarryThatWeightCampaign
408.391.2010,zoe.ridolfi.starr@gmail.com

AllieRickardCoDirectoroftheCarryThatWeightCampaign
253.348.9464,allierickard@gmail.com