McCaskill touts campus safety in SEMO visit

Being the mother of two daughters and one of the few women lawyers in the Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill wants to make sure students on college campuses are safe from sexual assault.

McCaskill, D-Missouri, visited Southeast Missouri State University on Monday to talk about ways of combating sexual violence. She also sought feedback on bipartisan legislation introduced in July called the Campus Accountability and Safety Act. The legislation is meant to strengthen accountability and transparency for institutions, including establishing stiffer penalties for noncompliance with new standards for training, data and best practices.

About 70 people attended the event, held in the Shuck Music Recital Hall at the River Campus.

Last summer, a report from the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Financial and Contracting Oversight, based on a survey of 440 public and private institutions nationwide, showed 40 percent of them had no sexual assault investigations in the past five years, she said.

"That's a problem, because they're required to investigate if there's been a complaint, which means on those campuses, either people are coming forward and they're being discouraged from making a complaint, or they're not even coming forward," McCaskill said. " ... Both of those are very bad outcomes in this area. This is a silent problem because it's always going to be underreported. ... Victims have to know that there's help for them on campus in order to give them the courage to come forward."

Director of Public Safety Doug Richards said when a sexual assault is reported to his department, they follow the wishes of the victim. If the victim wishes to pursue charges, the file is forwarded to the Cape Girardeau County prosecuting attorney's office.

His department conducts an investigation and maintains good relationships with local law enforcement.

The proposed Campus Accountability and Safety Act establishes new campus resources and support services for student survivors; ensures minimum training standards for on-campus personnel; creates new historic transparency requirements; increases campus accountability and coordination with law enforcement; and establishes enforceable Title IX penalties and stiffer penalties for Clery Act violations.

Current law holds the threat of removing federal funding, but McCaskill said that's an "empty threat." She added that the legislation will provide a penalty short of taking away all funding, but the penalties will vary depending on the size of the university.

McCaskill said she hopes the legislation will be passed in the next six months.

Under Title IX, any university or college receiving federal funds cannot discriminate based on gender. Sexual assault and harassment fall into that category of discrimination, according to McCaskill's office.

"I want to hear from the stakeholders in Missouri's university communities, from students, from Title IX executives, from administrators and educators about what is the best way for us to improve this process. I know now there are a lot of things that aren't working well, and that's what this legislation's designed to improve," she said.

The legislation mandates a climate survey so parents and students can get a snapshot of how students feel about their safety on campus. Conducting one of these surveys every couple of years, she said, would allow a constant "apples to apples" comparison of whether students know about available services on campus and whether they feel safe.

"It wouldn't have to be long or involved, but it's kind of a touch point that will allow campuses to judge the progress they're making and allow parents to really get a true picture of how kids on campus feel," McCaskill said.

rcampbell@semissourian.com

388-3639

Pertinent address: 518 S. Fountain St.