By Ethan Kibbe And Julia Mericle
Sports Editor and News Editor
Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul visited campus last Friday to discuss New York State’s Enough is Enough initiative, held in conjunction with Title IX training to combat sexual assault on college campuses.
The state’s website describes the initiative as “a new, uniform sexual assault policy to protect New York’s college students.” The initiative led to the passage of the Enough is Enough law last July.
“Project Empower,” the Title IX training program, teaches students to know their rights, become responsible bystanders and recognize dangerous situations, according to Nichole Gonzalez, executive director for residential living and conduct.
“What ‘Enough is Enough’ did was say that all colleges and universities in New York State are all going to have the same policies,” Gonzalez said during her presentation.
Hochul said according to New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, the law is “the most aggressive policy in the nation to fight against sexual assault on college campuses.”
After a welcome by Sister Margaret Carney, O.S.F., university president, and an introduction by Student Government Association (SGA) Treasurer J.W. Cook, Hochul explained the reason for the new legislation.
According to Hochul, about a year ago, Cuomo felt that sexual assaults on college campus were often mishandled.
“Colleges wanted to sweep [assault] under the rug because they felt it was hurting their reputation,” Hochul said.
Even when assaults were reported, Hochul said, each school dealt with a report differently. Because of this, she said, Cuomo exercised his power over State University of New York (SUNY) schools to enforce a uniform code for handling reports of assaults.
“We felt that we had at least half the campuses [in New York] covered,” Hochul said. “But then we started going around the state talking about this and realized we needed to have the same protections for every student in the state of New York regardless of whether they went to a private institution or a public institution.”
After announcing the initiative in a cabinet meeting last February, Cuomo tasked Hochul with traveling around the state and meeting campus administrators to formulate a plan, she said.
Bonaventure club leaders are joining all resident assistants (RAs) and athletes on campus who have completed the Title IX training earlier this semester, according to Gonzalez.
“It is important because it does not matter what club or organization you are a part of…people recognize you as a student leader and they might come to you with something like this,” Gonzalez said. “You don’t have to be an RA for someone to identify you as a leader that they might be able to talk to.”
According to the lieutenant governor, the Enough is Enough law created several changes to the legal definition of assault as well as the ways campuses treat reports of sexual violence.
Affirmative consent must be given by both parties, Hochul said.
“[Affirmative consent] is agreement by both parties to continue down the path you’re on,” she said.
Furthermore, according to Hochul, victims and witnesses are now given amnesty for school policy infractions such as underage drinking or drug use that may have occurred at the time of an assault.
“Our view as a state is that a greater public good is served if we close our eyes to the infraction and look at the greater crime, which is the assault,” Hochul said.
In addition, the new law requires that colleges distribute a bill of rights to all students to inform them of what to do in the event of an assault. Finally, Hochul said the law is designed to empower victims of abuse.
She said the law gives victims options for addressing the crime such as reporting the assault to police or handling the situation within the administrative structure of the university.
Hochul said she believes this legislation will combat what she referred to as “a cultural acceptance of this behavior.”
“We have taken this issue,” Hochul said. “We have grabbed it by the throat, and we have said ‘we own this.’”
kibbeei14@bonaventure.edu
mericlje13@bonaventure.edu
