To: Betsy DeVos, Education Secretary
DeVos: Do not protect rapists on college campuses
Do not make it easier for universities to let rapists off the hook.
Why is this important?
Trump's Education Department announced last week that universities were free to raise the bar for evidence in holding students responsible for rape. This move rescinded two Obama-era protections for victims of sexual assault, making campuses across the nation more dangerous.
Halfway through my second year at Grinnell College in Iowa, I was sexually assaulted. I think frequently about how much less safe my school was for the people around me, who continued to attend class and live with my rapist.
Despite my rapist facing no punitive action, Grinnell took some steps toward preventing sexual violence: during my time in college, between 5 and 10 repeat offenders in their class were suspended or expelled for Title IX infractions. Despite my own abuser remaining on campus, I felt safer knowing that serial rapists were not welcome in our community.
Betsy DeVos just took away that security. The security that needed to be expanded, not eliminated, for gender justice. We cannot sit back and allow our communities of learning to become dangerous for all students, and safe for perpetrators of violence.
Sign on to tell Betsy DeVos and the Trump administration that we won’t stand for keeping rapists on our college campuses.
Halfway through my second year at Grinnell College in Iowa, I was sexually assaulted. I think frequently about how much less safe my school was for the people around me, who continued to attend class and live with my rapist.
Despite my rapist facing no punitive action, Grinnell took some steps toward preventing sexual violence: during my time in college, between 5 and 10 repeat offenders in their class were suspended or expelled for Title IX infractions. Despite my own abuser remaining on campus, I felt safer knowing that serial rapists were not welcome in our community.
Betsy DeVos just took away that security. The security that needed to be expanded, not eliminated, for gender justice. We cannot sit back and allow our communities of learning to become dangerous for all students, and safe for perpetrators of violence.
Sign on to tell Betsy DeVos and the Trump administration that we won’t stand for keeping rapists on our college campuses.