A recent reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act may affect the way in which Penn is required to report details about sexual violence on campus.
The bill — signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 7 — will include protection for members of the LGBT and undocumented immigrant communities, while the original draft — passed in 1994 — focused primarily on the rights of women who were the victims of violent crimes.
A crucial part of this new reauthorization is the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination, or SaVE Act — the brainchild of U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D.-Pa) and House Representative Carolyn Maloney. It is meant to create more transparency and accountability around the reporting of sexual crimes on college campuses.
SaVE will amend the Jeanne Clery Act of 1990 — which requires all colleges and universities receiving Title IV government aid to report crime statistics including those relating to sexual assaults and domestic violence.
The Division of Public Safety already conforms to current Clery guidelines for the reporting of crimes, but the new law may require Penn to take preventative measures when it comes to crimes like domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. It also recommends additional educational measures to prevent sexual assault.
“A lot of the things the reauthorization is enhancing have already been in play at Penn,” Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said.
Rush and the other DPS administrators will be attending a webinar on April 15 offered by the Clery Center during which they will discuss the long-term affects of the SaVE Act on Penn’s campus and the full implications of the act will become clearer.
“Same-sex people including men represent a good 7 to 10 percent of victims [of sexual assault] nationally,” Rush said, “and Clery doesn’t care whether the sexual assault was committed on a man or a woman — it has to be reported.”
Penn has been working for several years with the Clery Center and other partners, including Drexel, Women Against Rape and Women Against Abuse, to deliver educational programs about sexual violence.
“The value of VAWA has been the fact that there’s a uniform training program [for sexual violence] around the country,” Rush said. “But we created our own training program for police and one for security officers — stratified according to their needs.”
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.