Sorority Speaks Out Against the College Sexual Assault Act
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Alpha Phi became the first national sorority to come out against the highly controversial bill that would monitor sexual assault on college campuses, the Huffington Post reports.
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The Safe Campus Act was first proposed to Congress in July and lobbied by the NPC and several fraternities, according to the Huffington Post. The bill would block colleges from taking action in sexual assault cases unless a formal police investigation is under way or the alleged victim first reports the incident to police. As of right now, under Title IX colleges can hand down consequences on alleged suspects of sexual assault even if there is no police involvement. But the proposed hope of the bill is to give universities a more formal and credible way to enact punishment in sexual assault cases.
Although embraced by the National Panhellenic Conference, the parent organization of 26 sororities, Alpha Phi stood by their opposition and issued a statement expressing their concerns with the bill.
The sorority believes that the bill does not take in to account the freedom of victims to choose how they want to handle the consequences of sexual assault.
"We believes our sisters who are survivors should have choices in how, when and to whom they go to for support to report the crime. They should have their own voice and the support and encouragement they need to move forward including reporting as they choose to do so."
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According to the Guardian more than 200 survivor groups have condemned the act and have encouraged other members in the Greek-life community to take a stand against the bill.
The bill has also been criticized by Democratic senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO).
"When sororities, fraternities and their members learn the negative consequences this proposal would have for student safety on campuses across the country," Gillibrand told the Huffington Post. "I think you will see more organizations back away from it."
Besides commending Alpha Phi's actions not to support the Safe Campus Act, the senators have also introduced their own version of a campus sexual assault bill called Campus Accountability and Safety Act. The bill would require sexual assault training for campus officials, standardized investigation and punishment, and increased resources for victims of assault among other things, the Guardian reports.
