NY Governor Andrew Cuomo
ALBANY – Governor Andrew M. Cuomo this week announced details of the wide-raging “Enough is Enough” campaign – which pushes for the passage of the Governor’s legislation combatting sexual assault on college campuses.
Earlier this year, the Governor announced legislation that would codify a sexual assault prevention and response policy previously adopted by the State University of New York, applying the provisions to all colleges and universities – public and private – in New York State.
The Governor’s legislation will extend the SUNY policy and protections to colleges statewide and ensure that the State’s 1.2 million college students are protected with comprehensive and uniform procedures and guidelines, including affirmative consent and access to law enforcement.
The proposal involves several components, including:
- A statewide definition of affirmative consent, defining consent as a clear, unambiguous, and voluntary agreement between the participants to engage in specific sexual activity;
- A statewide amnesty policy, to ensure that students reporting incidents of sexual assault or other sexual violence are granted immunity for certain campus policy violations, such as drug and alcohol use;
- A Sexual Violence Victim/Survivor Bill of Rights;
- Comprehensive training requirements for administrators, staff, and students, including at new student orientations.
As part of the campaign, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul will embark on a statewide tour to bring details of the legislation to college campuses, meeting with members of the student body, faculty and administration as well as service providers and advocates for survivors of rape and sexual assault.
To learn more about the campaign, visit www.ny.gov/SafeCampusNY.
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