The White House showed clear intent that they are committed to stem sexual assaults on campuses across the country by releasing a set of guidelines and proposals today.  A White House task force admonished the role of colleges and universities administration in tackling sexual assault, with a response that shows the White House believes that the current approach to sexual assault on campuses is wholly inadequate.

The task force seeks to focus on:  helping schools identify the problem; preventing sexual assault; helping schools respond effectively when a student is sexually assaulted; and improving and making more transparent the federal enforcement efforts.

Federal officials have also launched a new website, www.notalone.gov, which is designed to support victims of sexual assault and help them where their schools have failed.  The website also provides guidance for schools to help them better understand federal laws, their responsibilities and develop a sexual assault policy and procedure.

This is an authoritative and important move from the federal government that has been widely supported by grass-root campaigners and student-led organizations.  Colleges and universities have largely failed to handle sexual assault on their campuses, which has led to an explosion of complaints and campaigns over the past year and a number of cases citing a violation of Title IX.  The federal government has made a positive step towards improving school’s response to sexual assault.

To read about Gordon Law Group’s and Rodgers, Powers and Schwartz’s role in supporting the Title IX effort, please click here.  And, of course, if you’ve been involved in sexual violence on campus or suffered retaliation for helping students, contact us.