Lawmakers want schools' Title IX reports, funding boost to prevent sexual assaults
- Apr 20, 2017
- 3 min read
A bipartisan group of state lawmakers are calling for several policy and appropriations changes -- including obtaining copies of federal reports of sexual assaults and harassment from Michigan colleges and universities -- they say could help prevent sexual assault on college campuses.
At a Wednesday press conference, State Sens. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor, and Tonya Schuitmaker, R-Lawton, and Reps. Laura Cox, R-Livonia, and Kristy Pagan, D-Canton, highlighted bills they said would increase availability of care and support services to victims and allow courts to better factor in a perpetrator's prior history of sexual assault charges in future cases.
Those bills are Senate Bills 152 and 153, and House Bill 4190.
Cox, the House Appropriations Chair, said she's also proposing a $100,000 increase to the $500,000 in state appropriations for a grant program encouraging Michigan colleges and universities to come up with campus sexual assault prevention and awareness programs.
The lawmakers said they are hoping to include a requirement in the higher education budget for colleges and universities to provide copies of any Title IX reports sent to the federal government as well. In 2011, a "Dear Colleague" letter from the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights required colleges to investigate sexual harassment and sexual assault allegations or be in violation of Title IX.
"The House is saying, 'We would like to know what those reports are'" to get a better idea of what challenges Michigan institutions are facing, Cox said.
Pagan and Cox also introduced resolutions in the state House to declare April 2017 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
The awareness month designation and pending legislation comes as Michigan State University continues to face the fallout of two major sexual assault scandals -- four members of the MSU football team are currently under criminal investigation for alleged sexual conduct, and former MSU employee Larry Nassar is charged with sexually assaulting dozens of his female patients over the course of his decades-long career.
Asked what the state's role should be in ensuring such incidents don't happen again at Michigan State or other in-state colleges and universities, Warren said, "We have to put a big spotlight on this."
"I don't want to undervalue the amount of resources we're putting directly into this," Warren said. "It's definitely a problem, and we are committed to addressing it."
MSU President Lou Anna Simon announced during last week's board of trustees meeting that the school's Title IX review, originally planned for 2018, would be moved up to this fall.
As of April 12, there were 229 colleges and universities in the U.S. under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights for their handling of sexual violence on campus. Three of those institutions are in Michigan: the University of Michigan, Grand Valley State University and Alma College.
Michigan First Lady Sue Snyder has also taken an active role in combating sexual assault on college campuses, hosting summits over the past two years and serving as one of the original champions of the grant program for colleges and universities.
She recently met with U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in Washington, D.C. to discuss the issues surrounding campus sexual assault.
In a statement following that meeting, DeVos thanked Snyder for her work in advocating to end sexual assault and making campuses safer in Michigan and elsewhere.
"Every student deserves to learn in an environment where they are safe, and this Administration is committed to promoting a culture of safety on our nation's campuses," she said.
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