Kuster Hosts Roundtable Discussion on Preventing Sexual Assault on Campus

U.S. Rep. Ann McLane Kuster, D-NH, recently brought together a diverse group of college administrators, students, community leaders, and advocates to discuss how best to address and prevent sexual assault on school campuses.

Kuster discussed legislative proposals being considered in Congress to address the issue, and she heard directly from roundtable participants about their thoughts on the best approach moving forward.

“As we continue to hear extremely alarming stories about an increase in sexual assault on campuses around the nation, I think it’s important to bring together local experts, students, schools and advocates in New Hampshire to discuss the best ways to address this issue, so we can work to end this disturbing epidemic once and for all,” said Kuster. “As an original cosponsor of legislation to help put a stop to assault on campus, I will continue to fight to hold schools accountable and provide crucial support for survivors. No student should ever fear for her or his safety on the campus they call home, and I was grateful to get an opportunity to hear about what today’s participants are doing to address the issue. I look forward to sharing their experiences and insights with my colleagues in Washington.”

At the end of July, Kuster worked across the aisle to help introduce legislation to address the issue of campus sexual assault. The bipartisan Campus Accountability and Safety Actaims to address sexual assaults on college and university campuses by protecting and empowering students, strengthening accountability and transparency for institutions and establishing stiff penalties for non-compliance with the legislation’s new standards for training, data and best practices.

In recent months, an alarming number of reports have arisen showing a widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment on college campuses. A strong advocate for women and students in Congress, Kuster convened this roundtable to hear from schools about what they are doing to address the problem, and to give experts an opportunity to share best practice approaches for eliminating instances of assault on campus.

Submitted by the office of U.S. Rep. Ann McLane Kuster.