Enough is Enough

With only five percent of rapes among college women or nearly 5,000 reported cases to law enforcement, which leaves roughly 100,000 rape cases undocumented. In Governor Cuomo’s State of the State Address he mentioned sexual assault among New York State Universities and in specifically SUNY Campuses. “Enough is Enough” is a program that was implemented in all 64 SUNY Campuses, which Cuomo wants to expand to all colleges. In today’s world where information can be shared so easily and discretely, it’s a surprise to many lawmakers that this is such a large issue.

A proposal from the Governor would create legislative power to protect the safety and rights of New Yorks higher education both SUNY and private university students. This is not just a problem that occurs within SUNY campuses. According to the New York Times “there is no doubt that on many occasions colleges have not treated sexual-assault accusations as seriously as they should have”. With New York State representing nearly fourteen percent of reported national sexual assaults, its clear Governor Cuomo has a lot of work to do.

The legislation will include defining a clear, unambiguous agreement between participants to engage in sexual activity. It will also include an amnesty police which means you will get protection for certain campus violations like alcohol or drugs. Many students believe they cannot report and incident because they were partaking in illegal activities. A sexual assault Bill of Rights will be distributed to all incoming and previous students to help them better understand their rights as students of that university. An finally, increased training among administrators, staff and students will spread the word and make the campus community as a whole informed citizens of sexual assaults.

This legislation will affect more than one million students and will be used as a base for many other states to follow in our footsteps. Governor Cuomo states that New York is a state that should be leading a fight like this since it protects many of our youngest and vulnerable citizens. This legislation once in effect could sprawl out into many other fields’ besides just universities.

Information retrieved from: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/2015-opportunity-agenda-ensuring-justice-perception-and-reality

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/08/opinion/sunday/the-best-way-to-address-campus-rape.html?_r=0

Picture retrieved from: http://www.onenewspage.us/video/20141202/2315979/Cuomo-announces-new-SUNY-sexual-assault-prevention-policy.htm

Video on sexual assault- Opportunity Agenda Plan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEbtGfERdVE