Fraternity, Sorority PAC Applauds New Campus Safety Legislation
The SAFE CAMPUS Act calls for reforms to the current system of investigating and adjudicating campus sexual assault claims and is supported by the Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee.
The SAFE CAMPUS Act is sponsored by Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ), Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX).
Following numerous allegations of hazing and sexual assault against members of campus Greek organizations, three members of congress have introduced the SAFE CAMPUS Act. According to the Fraternity & Sorority Political Action Committee (FSPAC), the new legislation introduces “meaningful and much needed reforms to the current system of investigating and adjudicating sexual assault allegations on our nation’s college campuses.”
The legislation is sponsored by Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ), Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX).
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According to a FSPAC press release:
“Under SAFE CAMPUS, students affected will have full knowledge of the status of their cases, the charges and evidence, and why decisions were made. The SAFE CAMPUS Act requires that students have access to counsel, are able to cross-examine witnesses, and know the evidence and testimony that is brought against them. It extends due process to student groups on campus so that entire organizations cannot be suspended without cause.
“The SAFE CAMPUS Act gives law enforcement an exclusive period of primary jurisdiction to investigate crimes of sexual violence on campus before the school’s disciplinary process begins. This will result in a greater likelihood that law enforcement can bring to justice those who commit crimes of physical violence against students and will ultimately help reduce the rate of sexual violence on campus.
“The bill arms schools with powerful new interim measures to protect students and ensure those affected by sexual assault can stay in school. It provides students with more education to prevent sexual assault. It also offers safe harbors for students to report sexual assaults without fear of being punished for other violations of school policy.
“SAFE CAMPUS also restates the historic exemption of single-sex organizations under Title IX.”
RELATED: How to Investigate Campus Sexual Assaults
Many experts on campus sexual assault claim that fraternity members are more likely to commit sexual assault than males who do not belong to these organizations. One study shows that fraternity men are three times more likely to commit rape. Hollywood has also highlighted the issue of sexual assault and fraternities. Female college students nicknamed the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity as “Sexual Assault Expected” in the documentary “The Hunting Ground” that was released earlier this year.
Additionally, many U.S. college fraternities and sororities have been suspended or even banned recently by their campuses for hazing.
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