Tougher Rape On Campus Policies Promised

As dorm rooms are dusted and campus squares begin to bustle with students, dozens of federal lawsuits are forcing colleges around the country to face an oft ignored reality — rape culture on campus. Students at 29 universities around the country have brought legal action, accusing institutions of negligence in the handling of reports of sexual violence and violating Title IX, a 1972 law protecting students from discrimination driven by gender. In March, Congress passed the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (Campus SaVE), adding more legal oomph to student-led efforts. A sister act to congressional reinforcement of the Violence Against Women Act, SaVE updated the list of offenses that universities must report among statistics on campus crime including dating violence, stalking and domestic violence. It also clearly outlines a university's legal responsibilities to prevent and address sexual assault — processes that many universities have struggled with. These new obligations, which are effective March 7, 2014, give the schools the beginning semesters to review their current policies and modify their procedures for handling sexual offenses as well as train personnel. "Schools can no longer hide their heads in the sand about this," Harvard Law School's Professor Diane Rosenfeld, who directs Harvard's Gender Violence Program, told MSN News. "Many schools want to believe that it doesn't happen at their school, but they simply must face the fact that it does." Students reporting rape often turn first to campus officials. The allegations are usually hard to prove beyond a reasonable doubt in criminal court because it's often one person's word against another. Many schools hold formal court-like hearings where panels of faculty and students determine whether a student is responsible for sexual misconduct and recommend how to discipline a student who is found responsible. We always recommend that you use a self-defense product to defend yourself against any kind of an assault and Keychain Pepper Sprays are our top recommendation because that way they are with you almost all the time. One of the very best is the Fox labs hard case Key Chain Release shown below. Guardian Self-Defense & Security Products LLC is one of the largest most trusted online distributors of non-lethal self-defense items and surveillance equipment in the US. We specialize in premium pepper spray, mace, personal alarms, stun batons and more. We are "The Self Defense Product Experts"!