In May, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo requested a review of colleges’ compliance with the 2015 “Enough is Enough” sexual assault law. The results are in.
In a statement issued when the multi-agency review began, Cuomo said, “New York led the nation by signing into law the strongest policy to combat sexual assault on college campuses, and now we are ensuring every university fully meets their obligations under that law.”
“Enough is Enough” requires colleges have "affirmative consent" policies in place, notify students of their rights, and establish an amnesty policy to encourage students to report sexual assaults. It also requires colleges to provide comprehensive training for students and staff, and ensure investigations are conducted according to law. Alphonso David is Counsel to Governor Cuomo: "Our goal is to make sure that every student that is sent to college or university in New York is aware of his or her rights and obligations as it relates to sexual assault. And we wanted to make sure that students were informed. We want to make sure they're protected, which is why the governor required us to conduct the audit."
The review was completed by the beginning of the fall semester. Out of 244 institutions reviewed, 29 were found to be "non-compliant," having policies deficient on certain elements. "The colleges and universities that failed to comply with the statute will now be required to provide information to the state within 60 days of the report to come into compliance. They have to take all meaningful steps to correct the problems that we identified."
In the Capital Region, 14 colleges and universities were rated compliant. Seven were rated significantly compliant, including SUNY Adirondack, Columbia-Greene Community College, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
RPI spokesman Richie Hunter responded to a request for comment by email, he tells WAMC state auditors indicated their belief that the school has “adopted all of the required policies and procedures,” stressing that RPI "is committed to maintaining a campus environment that does not tolerate sexual assault, and where allegations of any sexual misconduct are resolved in a thorough and fair manner."
Columbia-Greene Community College President Jim Campion says his school fully supports "Enough is Enough." "And we have not yet received a report from the office of campus safety, but I can assure our students and community that we will continue to work with our New York State Police liaison, and will address any deficiencies that may have been identified by OCS."
SUNY Adirondack President Kristine Duffy also responded via email, stating in part "We were rated as significantly compliant and are proud of the work we have done to date to ensure the safety of our students and staff. The suggested changes involve improved documentation, ease of finding information, and ratifying agreements with agencies to support our work... We expect all modifications to be done within the next 30 days.”
What happens to colleges that fail to make corrections? David says enforcement steps may be taken, including but not limited to assessing their ability to continue providing educational instruction in the state. "The governor feels very strongly about this. He has three daughters, two that just recently went off to college. And when they go off to college, these parents are providing trust or shifting their trust to the colleges and universities to make sure their kids are protected. We need to make sure these kids understand that they have rights, that if they are assaulted, sexually assaulted, there's a process, and the colleges and universities have an obligation to make sure that they're meeting all of the requirements under the law."
Schools with issues are required to submit an action plan within 30 days prior to submitting documentation of full compliance within 60 days.
