17 county execs back gov’s proposal to quell sexual violence on campus

Albany County’s Daniel McCoy is among 17 county executives from across New York backing Andrew Cuomo’s “Enough is Enough” campaign to prevent sexual violence on the campuses of colleges and universities, according to a release from the governor’s office.

The protocols have already been adopted by the State University of New York.

“By joining us in this fight, these county executives — representing both political parties and virtually every corner of the state — are helping us push for the toughest and most comprehensive law in the nation to combat sexual assault on college campuses,” said Cuomo in the release.

The guidelines, meant to protect 1.2 million college students, include affirmative consent and access to law enforcement.

The “Enough is Enough” campaign also includes a new State Police hotline — 1-844-845-7269 — dedicated to reporting sexual assaults on college and university campuses. Specially trained members of the State Police will be on-call 24 hours a day to respond to sexual assault calls throughout the state. The State Police investigates more than 3,000 sexual assaults across the state each year, according to the governor’s office.

The campaign also has a website, www.ny.gov/EnoughisEnough, and a video featuring students, advocates, and elected officials supporting the governor’s policy to address sexual assault on college campuses.

The sexual assault prevention proposal includes these components:

— A statewide definition of affirmative consent, defining consent as a clear, unambiguous, and voluntary agreement between the participants to engage in specific sexual activity;

— A statewide amnesty policy, to ensure that students reporting incidents of sexual assault or other sexual violence are granted immunity for certain campus policy violations, such as drug and alcohol use;

— A Sexual Violence Victim/Survivor Bill of Rights, which campuses will be required to distribute to all students in order to specifically inform sexual violence victims of their legal rights and how they may access appropriate resources. The Bill of Rights clearly states that students are given the right to know they can report sexual assaults to outside law enforcement, including the State Police; and

— Comprehensive training requirements for administrators, staff, and students, including at new-student orientations.

“As a father with a daughter who lives on a college campus, I particularly appreciate and applaud Governor Cuomo’s focus on this issue,” said McCoy in a statement. “Albany County is proud to be home to some great higher education institutions and we need to do everything we can to ensure students feel protected and continue attending our schools.”

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