President Barack Obama announced a new task force Wednesday to help combat the issue of sexual assault and rape on college campuses.
The advisory task force, which will be headed by the Office of the Vice President and the White House Council on Women and Girls, will recommend policy changes in the next 90 days to improve enforcement of federal laws concerning sexual assault and rape at universities and other higher education institutions, according to a presidential memorandum.
“The prevalence of rape and sexual assault at our Nation’s institutions of higher education is both deeply troubling and a call to action,” the memorandum states. “Although schools have made progress in addressing rape and sexual assault, more needs to be done to ensure safe, secure environments for students of higher education.”
The White House Task Force is charged with providing institutions evidence-based practices for responding to and preventing incidences of sexual assault and rape, ensuring that institutions comply fully with federal law and increasing transparency of the federal government’s enforcement of laws concerning rape and sexual assault.
The task force will continue to provide policy recommendations to the president on an annual basis.
Under federal law, institutions of higher education that participate in federal student financial aid programs are required to investigate reports of sexual assault and rape. They must also maintain procedures for the swift resolution of sexual assault and rape complaints and work to actively prevent sexual assault and rape.
In his memorandum, Obama said many institutions’ compliance with these measures has not been uniform or sufficient.
The issue of sexual assault on college campuses has caught national attention in the past few months, after students filed federal complaints against UC Berkeley, USC and Occidental College, saying the universities mishandled and failed to report cases of sexual assault.
State officials announced last year that the state will audit UCLA, UC Berkeley, San Diego State University and California State University, Chico to see whether the way they handle sexual assault cases is compliant with federal law.
Compiled by Kristen Taketa, Bruin senior staff.