1. PROTECT THE RIGHT TO VOTE

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Ensure fair access to the democratic process through Automatic Voter Registration (AVR), pre-registration, and Election Day registration.

2. IMPLEMENT COMMON-SENSE GUN LAWS

Address the U.S. gun violence epidemic by investing in research and passing legislation that enforces universal background checks, increases funding for nationwide gun violence prevention and intervention programs, bans assault weapons and high capacity magazines, enables the Centers for Disease Control to research gun violence as a public health issue, disarms all domestic abusers, and makes ERPOs available in every state.

3. ENACT BOLD CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORMS TO CURB MASS INCARCERATION

Rethink national policies that exacerbate the mass incarceration problem in the U.S. by making sure marijuana legislation includes strong provisions that clear marijuana criminal records and ensure meaningful reinvestment in communities of color, reforming the pretrial system including the removal of barriers to bail payments, improving the timeliness and quality of national data collection, and passing legislation to automatically expunge certain federal offenses from criminal records.

4. PROTECT DACA RECIPIENTS AND TPS HOLDERS

Provide permanent protections to young immigrants by passing legislation that puts Dreamers and TPS holders on a pathway to citizenship.

5. TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH CLEAN ENERGY PROPOSALS AND INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT

Heed the warnings from climate scientists on the dangers of inaction on climate by passing bold legislation that takes on carbon emissions and invests in clean energy and infrastructure.

6. SHORE UP PROTECTIONS AND ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND FAMILY SERVICES

Center the needs of young people and their reproductive health by protecting and expanding the ACA and Medicaid, investing in pregnancy prevention programs, and stopping the Trump administration"s proposed domestic gag rule.

7. ADDRESS THE STUDENT DEBT CRISIS

To curb the mounting student debt crisis, Congress must pass legislation that ensures young people have access to free or debt-free college, implement solutions to help borrowers, tackle bad actors profiting off of borrowers, and hold for-profit colleges accountable for cheating student borrowers.

8. PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE FEDERAL PROTECTIONS FOR THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY

Congress should fight anti-LGBTQ bullying, discrimination, and mistreatment, by passing explicit protections to end discrimination in all areas of life, increase and improve assistance for runaway and homeless youth and survivors of violence, and end conversion therapy.

9. REMOVE STRUCTURAL BARRIERS FACED BY YOUNG PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

In order to remove barriers faced by disabled youth, Congress must provide access to comprehensive care that does not discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions and provides the right to access long-term supports and services, ends subminimum wage and segregated employment, and eradicate asset limits for people with disabilities.

10. DISMANTLE BARRIERS TO OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE OF COLOR AND YOUNG PEOPLE OF ALL FAITHS

The 116th Congress should invest in young people of color by creating racial and economic opportunities and providing civil rights protections. They should similarly invest in young people of faith with welcoming attitudes toward religious diversity and rejecting any attempts to restrict or manipulate constitutional protections of religious freedom.

The post FACT SHEET: Ten Ways the New Congress Can Act for Young People appeared first on Generation Progress.

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The narrative turned out to be false; during the 2018 cycle, young people campaigned around the issues they cared about and voted in historic numbers. In fact, 31 percent of young people turned out to vote, an increase of 10 points compared to the 2014 midterm elections. With Millennials projected to be the largest voting bloc by 2020, young people are poised to change the politics of their communities, and the nation.

By seizing their power, young people showed America that they have what it takes to tip the scales on many of today"s most critical issues, including democracy, gun violence prevention, criminal justice reform, immigration, climate change, women"s health, student debt, and diversity and inclusion.

Now is the time for accountability. As the 116th Congress works to frame their priorities for the next two years, members must center young people in their policy proposals and legislation. Generation Progress and the Center for American Progress have identified policy areas that are important to young people and can drive youth civic engagement and voter participation.

View our fact sheet which summarizes our findings in this report.

The post REPORT: Ten Ways the New Congress Can Act for Young People appeared first on Generation Progress.

1. Young people came out swinging in 2017 elections, bringing down candidates across the country who stood in opposition to our values.

In Virginia, there was an unprecedented showing of young people in the 2017 elections, which included a key gubernatorial race and down-ballot races for the state legislature. Voter turnout among young people was up eight percent from the last gubernatorial election, and a large majority of young voters cast their ballots for Ralph Northam, who came out strong for progressive issues like student debt relief and making affordable health care a reality for all Virginians. In New Jersey, Democratic candidate Phil Murphy cruised easily to victory, defeating his conservative opponent on a platform emphasizing the issues that matter to young people, like climate change, student debt, and health care.

Young people"s impact on the elections wasn"t just confined to the ballot box: across the country, from Kansas to Vermont to New York, teens as young as 16 declared their candidacy in 2017 for elected office in local, state, and even federal politics. These young people felt–and personally experienced–disillusionment with a political system that fails to listen to their voices and values, and decided to make sure their needs are addressed by throwing their hats into the ring.

2. After a series of historic elections, Danica Roem and Andrea Jenkins became two of the first openly transgender elected officials in U.S. history, continuing the transgender revolution.

Danica Roem, a transgender woman who ran on a campaign oriented around local transportation issues, unseated incumbent Del. Robert Marshall in a race for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates. Marshall, a notoriously conservative Delegate, introduced a "bathroom bill" in 2017, attempting to prevent transgender people from using the bathroom aligned with their gender identity, and proudly referred to himself as Virginia"s "Chief Homophobe." In Minneapolis, Andrea Jenkins won an election to the city council with a legacy of community activism in underserved neighborhoods and as a historian curating a project on transgender voices and history. Their wins showed a remarkable revolution in America"s acceptance and embrace of transgender people, one led and fueled by young people.

3. We saved the ACA (for now).

Conservatives have tried to repeal the ACA countless times this year (and every year since it was passed in 2009), offering alternatives that reveal their priorities: tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy over health care for middle-class families. But each time it seemed like conservatives were on the verge of winning, the American people rallied with historic energy, storming Congressional offices, town halls, and calling office lines in such unprecedented numbers that many phone lines were overwhelmed and congressional members stopped having townhalls. Though progressives managed to stage many upsets this year, the ACA fight really drove the point home: when we raise our voices, and speak out against injustices, we win.

4. A bipartisan group of Illinois lawmakers came together to stand up for student loan borrowers.

The Illinois state legislature passed a borrower"s bill of rights, called the "Illinois Student Loan Bill of Rights," to make sure student loan borrowers have the same protections as other consumers. The bill included provisions like requiring student loan servicers provide borrowers with accurate and timely information on repayment plans, loan forgiveness, and more. But then, in an unusual move, Illinois" Governor vetoed the bill. In a strong show of support for student loan borrowers, the Illinois state legislature overwhelmingly overturned the Governor"s veto, 98-16.  Across the country, states and municipalities passed innovative, reformative measures on student debt, showing that this issue that rests squarely on the back of young people is not unsolvable, nor unbeatable.

5. Women across the country showed up and spoke out, time and time again.

The day after Trump"s inauguration, half a million women and their allies flooded the streets of  the nation"s capital in the largest-ever demonstration in U.S. history (creating a crowd far larger than the previous day"s inauguration) to show that women would be neither silenced nor overpowered by a president whose misogyny showed in both his political and private life. Alongside 650 marches across the country and many more in countries around the world, the Women"s March–organized and sustained by young people of color–demonstrated that we will not stand idly by as women"s rights are systematically attacked and threatened. Since then, women have continued to be backbone of progress. This fall, the #MeToo movement began when women publicly shared their stories of sexual harassment and assault–and the world started listening. Overcoming powerful and embedded tools of shame, as well as a real risk of financial and cultural ruin, women have spoken out about the pervasiveness of sexual harassment. From the Women"s March to #MeToo, women this year have proven one thing: they won"t be silenced.

6. Celebrities used their platforms for good.

This year, celebrities recognized the power of the microphone and used their wide audiences to inspire action in the face of injustice. Since Cardi B"s song "Bodak Yellow" went viral earlier this year, hitting number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the 25-year-old rapper from the Bronx has taken the pop culture world–and the political world–by storm. Cardi B, a self-made Instagram personality and former "Love & Hip Hop" star, radically de-stigmatized sex work and poverty, talking and rapping about how sex work helped pull her out of an abusive relationship and growing up in poverty. She"s also been outspoken on identifying as both black and Latina and what it means to live at the intersections of both identities. Like many cultural icons this year, Cardi B has shown us that all experiences are important and worthy of cultural representation–and how to use a rapidly expanding platform to change deeply embedded cultural norms.

Over in Chicago, Chance the Rapper threw parties to encourage people to vote and made voter registration easy at all of his concerts, nationwide. Simultaneously, he"s used his platform to speak up for gun violence prevention and criminal justice reform. By equipping his listeners with the power to vote and educating them about the raging gun violence epidemic in our country, he"s single-handedly helped elevate the issue of gun violence in our discourse and our politics. Chance has concurrently drawn attention to issues affecting his community and to the power of the vote, showing how a public figure can invest in their own community for positive, progressive change.

And of course, there was that moment Nicki Minaj serendipitously decided to pay for multiple students" college tuition after a fan asked on Twitter.

7. A civil rights attorney and defender of #BlackLivesMatter and Occupy Wall Street protesters became Philadelphia"s next District Attorney.

Larry Krasner"s election demonstrates that the people not only want, but will vote for, change in the current criminal justice and economic justice systems. Though Krasner describes his work defending #BlackLivesMatter and Occupy protestors as choices that made him seem "completely unelectable," Philadelphia chose otherwise. He ran on a platform of ensuring that the DA"s office will fight for justice for defendants, not just prosecutors. Krasner is just the start: across the country, young people have walked alongside–and led–#BlackLivesMatter protests, and advocated and agitated for changing the system so it"s not rigged against those living in poverty and communities of color. This is why all Americans need a seat at the table in 2018.

8. Doug Jones defeated Roy Moore in the Alabama special Senate election–thanks to black voters, and black women in particular.

Even before multiple remarkably consistent and substantiated reports surfaced that conservative candidate Roy Moore had harassed and assaulted women and girls as young as 14, Moore violated even the most basic of progressive values, speaking out against LGBTQ equality and women"s reproductive rights. Then the allegations started coming in. In spite of this, a majority of white women and men still cast their votes for Moore. But Black voters, including 98 percent of black women, stood up for their values, and voted for Jones, sending the first Democrat to the Senate from Alabama in a quarter-century. This is despite attempts to suppress black votes, showing that even in the face of pernicious voter suppression tactics, black people and specifically black women are the backbone of the progressive movement.

9. The courts showed us that there"s still some semblance of justice in this country.

From stopping the original Muslim travel ban to preventing Trump"s rule to end copay-free birth control from going into effect to preserving sanctuary cities, the courts have served an important role in 2017: allowing justice to prevail, regardless of political expediency. Meanwhile, Trump has outpaced Obama in the number of federal judges he"s nominated and gotten confirmed–many of them having a record of racism, homophobia, sexism, and xenophobia. In December alone, three judges either withdrew their nominations or were blocked from confirmation after their credentials and fitness to serve as judges were questioned, including this remarkable exchange between Republican Senator John Kennedy and one of Trump"s judicial nominees. Though Trump is attempting to pack the federal courts for generations to come, a string of decisions defying some of Trump"s most heinous decisions over the last year shows that we have checks and balances for a reason and the fight to protect our courts has never been more important.

10. Women of color led the charge.

From Tarana Burke, who started the #MeToo campaign, to Maxine Waters reclaiming her time, women of color were the lifeblood of the resistance this year. Women of color won at the ballot box, including electing the first black woman to the mayor"s office in Charlotte, North Carolina, and, as voters, propelling progressive candidates into elected office. Some of the biggest moments of 2017 were sparked by women of color: the Women"s March was organized by women of color, and San Juan mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz faced misogyny and racism in her courageous stand against President Trump"s inhumane response to the hurricane that devastated Puerto Rico. While 2017 has been full of surprises, one thing is certain: the resistance in 2017 would"ve looked a whole lot different without the work, power, and moral and tactical leadership of women of color.

The post #ResistanceRecap: How Young People Fueled the Resistance in 2017 appeared first on Generation Progress.

Trump and Falwell Jr. have not formally announced a definitive mission or the scope of the task force, but Falwell Jr. could potentially influence major higher education policy, curbing what he calls "overreaching regulation and micromanagement" by the federal Department of Education. Here are five reasons why Falwell Jr. is unfit to lead the task force.

1. Falwell Jr. doesn"t take sexual violence seriously

In an interview with CNN, Falwell Jr. was asked if he would continue to support Trump if he was a proven sexual abuser. He doubled down on his support and commitment to Trump"s presidency and claimed he didn"t know the details of the sexual assault allegations against Trump. Attempting to deflect the question, Falwell also praised Trump as a "changed man," and never explicitly condemned Trump"s egregious behavior.

He went on to say: "I don’t know who was a worse womanizer. I don’t know who assaulted more women–[John F. Kennedy] or Bill Clinton. But I can tell you JFK did the right things, he cut taxes, he brought prosperity, and I would vote for JFK again if he were on the ballot today because of his conservative leadership…"

In this statement, Falwell Jr. carelessly rationalizes sexual violence and promotes the notion that male aggression towards women should take a backseat to assaulters" accomplishments. His permissive attitude on sexual violence makes clear that he does not view policy issues regarding sexual assault, and its prevention, as worthy of attention. These values are present within his own academic institution, Liberty University, which he heads as Chancellor.

Just months after Baylor athletic director Ian McCaw left the school (with a severance package in hand) amidst a controversy involving multiple allegations of sexual assaults by Baylor football players, Liberty University brought McCaw on as its new athletic director. Falwell Jr. claims to have conducted an investigation on the Baylor scandal prior to hiring McCaw, but this remains unverified. In response to student and alumni outrage concerning McCaw"s hiring, Falwell defended McCaw in arguing that "if he made any mistakes at Baylor, they appear to be technical and unintentional."

Falwell Jr."s laissez faire attitude toward sexual assault is concerning, to say the least. And this attitude is evident as he enters his new government position: Falwell Jr. has said that he plans to roll back Title IX regulations requiring campuses to investigate campus sexual assault as head of Trump"s higher education task force. He says there is too much federal regulation when it comes to Title IX, and investigations are "better left to the police, attorneys, judges."

2. Students at his own university have high levels of student debt, while Falwell Jr. has high profit levels

Liberty University students find it very difficult to repay their federal loans loans after graduation, and many of their graduates also struggle to find well-paying jobs. The New York Times reports that 41 percent of Liberty graduates earn less than $25,000 a year six years after entering college. This is the average salary of a 25-year-old with just a high school diploma. The report also found that only 38 percent of graduates who borrowed loans were able to pay $1 towards the principal of their student loans three years of graduation.

Compared to national default average of 6.5 percent, Liberty students have a 9 percent default rate within three years of graduation. According to CollegeFactual "this could indicate that students attending Liberty University are relying heavily on student loans, including unsubsidized student loans," and that the school does a poor job at helping students afford college without having to rely on unsubsidized loans.

Meanwhile, Falwell Jr. and his university reap the profits–Liberty has a $1 billion cash reserve and Falwell Jr. makes $900,000 a year. As head of the higher education task force, Falwell Jr. appears poised to continue prioritizing institutional profit over the financial well-being of college students across country. He does not plan on implementing federal policy to assist students with high debt and low-paying jobs post-graduation. Instead, he plans to get rid of or weaken federal rules that are intended to help students left with worthless diplomas and impossible amounts of debt after being scammed by for-profit colleges.

This leads us to point number three:

3. Falwell Jr. will be okay with letting colleges cheat students

During his administration, President Obama created new rules to hold for-profit colleges accountable and prevent them from cheating their students out of thousands of dollars. Falwell. Jr. has called described these policies as "overreaching" and says he plans to curtail that "overreach." Falwell Jr. himself has stated that the goal of the task force "is to pare [The Department of Education] back and give colleges and their accrediting agencies more leeway in governing their affairs."

Falwell"s focus is clearly not on the financial well-being of college students.  According to the New York Times, Liberty University would benefit from this change because "Liberty is essentially a medium-size non profit college that owns a huge for-profit college." The college has about 14,000 students taking classes on campus, and it also enrolls an additional 65,000 students online. Because they are less expensive to deliver, internet courses bring in huge profits to Liberty and other similar universities with a large online student population. Falwell"s task force wants to give these types of colleges and their accrediting agencies more autonomy, leaving students unprotected from institutional financial abuse.

4. He dangerously conflates Islam with violent extremism

After the San Bernadino shooting, Falwell used inflammatory language to paint all Muslim individuals as terrorists and called for his students to take arms against Muslims after the shooting in San Bernardino. In his view "if more good people had concealed-carry permits, then we could end those Muslims before they walked in."

There are so many problematic points in his call to violence. First, someone who assumes all Muslims are terrorists cannot be trusted to lead higher education and make unbiased decisions regarding education policy. Second, he explicitly advocated for Liberty University students in his university to obtain concealed carry permits and hold arms in response to the shooting, demonstrating his belief that guns are the solution to violent extremism.

5. Falwell Jr., His Family, And His School Are Anti-LGBTQ

It is hard to believe Falwell Jr."s claim that he "agreed with Trump"s vow to protect the LGBT community from violence 100 percent" when Liberty University policies shamelessly discriminate against LGBTQ students. According to the student honor code, "Sexual relations outside of a biblically ordained marriage between a natural-born man and a natural-born woman are not permissible at Liberty University." Liberty University also has long-standing ties with anti-LGBTQ organizations, like the Liberty Counsel, a conservative law firm that represented county clerk Kim Davis after she was arrested for refusing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in Rowan County, Kentucky. Falwell Jr. is a man who won"t explicitly denounce sexual violence, but will blatantly attempt to disparage the LGBTQ community.

If this is concerning to you call (202) 224-3121 and tell your members of Congress why Jerry Falwell Jr. is not fit to lead Trump’s higher education task force.  

The post Five Reasons You Should Be Scared Of Jerry Falwell Jr., Trump's Pick To Lead His Higher Education Task Force appeared first on Generation Progress.

"They"re saying they can"t prove that a rape happened, so they can"t provide the services they would provide to a rape victim," said Barney to The Huffington Post.

Traditionally survivors of sexual assault are allowed changes in their academic schedule, living arrangements or other changes that would facilitate their reintegration back on campus. But, since Barney"s alleged rape happened off campus and was not reported to the school itself, BYU is limiting the support offered to her and instead has made her the focal point of a review on the ways in which she broke the Mormon university"s honor code.

The Huffington Post explains:

"Although Barney says she did not report what happened to BYU, the school contacted her in late November after getting a copy of a police report related to her case. In an email obtained by HuffPost, the school told Barney the police report provided "˜information that you have engaged in behavior that violates the BYU Honor Code.""

The Huffington Post piece that explains how the police report made it to BYU administrator’s hands without the consent of Barney comes a day before President Worthen"s statements in a video meant to reassure the BYU community and survivors of sexual assault that BYU is on their side:

"The victim of sexual assault is never responsible for the sexual assault, you"re not at fault. Then I would say, come in and get the help that can be provided."

Since Barney has been unable to receive the help that President Worthen states the University offers, she has proceeded to file a Title IX complaint with the Department of Education"s Office of Civil Rights. According to the Huffington Post, Barney would like the school to be held accountable, "for putting her on academic hold and failing to help her withdraw from classes after she reported being raped to police."

The University stands by its Honor Code and President Worthen further emphasized that the University is trying its best to abide by Title IX regulations, even going as far as to explain a study on campus sexual assault that is being conducted at BYU.

"That study really is to help us determine how we can best use those tools we have, the Title IX process and the Honor Code process together," states President Worthen.

BYU"s Honor Code calls for students to abstain from sex, alcohol, drugs, coffee, and tea, among other behaviors.

The post BYU Refuses To Provide Protection For Survivor Because They Cannot Prove Rape Happened appeared first on Generation Progress.

Currently there are over 200 colleges and universities being investigated for potentially having violated Title IX with regards to reported instances of sexual assault on campuses. The level of transparency for colleges, both on and off the list, varies on a case by case basis.

Nationally it"s found that one in five women will be sexually assaulted during their time in college and of those, less than five percent will report the assault.

A study out of Penn State University found that there"s a greater likelihood of students reporting a sexual assault to their parents or peers than it is for them to report it to school officials.

"The data shows that students tend to report incidents related to sexual misconduct to friends and peers and family members and parents, not to us," said Damon Sims, Penn State"s vice president for student affairs, according to Inside Higher Ed. "I want to start a conversation with the parents" program about how best to communicate messages around sexual misconduct. We"re trying to figure how to enlist their aid in trying to tackle the issue."

While Sims is focused on how Penn State can use parent involvement as an extension to their prevention, awareness and support strategies for survivors, other organizations and leaders in the space are also trying to make parents an important part of the equation across all universities.

Sheri Heitker Dixon leads Keep Her Safe, an initiative whose goal is to empower parents to be active agents in the conversation around campus sexual assault. As the Founder and Executive Director of Keep Her Safe, Dixon has one very important goal in mind:

"The reason I started Keep Her Safe is because there was no organized advocacy for parent engagement. As consumers, parents can demand that colleges and universities deal effectively with this issue," she told Generation Progress via email.

Dixon refers to a parent"s purchasing power when it comes to the tuition they would be contributing to their child"s education. While the financial aspect is one point of leverage for parents, there"s also the reality that as a unit, parents can change the tone of the conversation regarding campus sexual assault.

Beth Mitchneck, a professor of geography at the University of Arizona and mother to a soon-to-be college freshman, wrote an article for The Chronicle of Higher Education on how insightful it was for both her and her daughter to ask questions on campus sexual assault. They received a range of answers, but the best were from the schools that had tour guides who were well-versed on how sexual assault is handled on campus and echoed the transparency that the school itself embodies.

"At one, in a small town near summer resorts, our tour guide did give us a substantive answer – and, notably, he was our only male guide. When my daughter brought it up, he became thoughtful and said, "˜There has been a lot of campus activism around the issue, including a student-made documentary and a student-led group for men to discuss issues of masculinity." My daughter nodded her head and told the guide that was an interesting answer and the first to reveal campus activism. It made her feel like there was an open campus conversation, and I was thrilled that we received what seemed like a genuine response."

Mitchneck continued:

"I would like to live in a world where I send my daughter to a college that is proud to discuss how it handles difficult issues, where learning how to have difficult conversations is a part of the educational process."

Oftentimes it"s noted that colleges or universities with the higher number of reported instances of campus sexual assault have a more supportive environment for survivors to come forward in.

"[Schools with higher reported numbers] are acknowledging that this is something that happens on their campus, and they are taking the right steps to respond to it," said Charlotte Poth, Sexual Violence Prevention & Awareness Coordinator for The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling and Education, to Generation Progress. "They are not hiding reports under something else…in an effort to keep statistics on this issue low."

For those survivors who do choose to come forward to their parents first, it"s important that parents understand the process behind how to deal with universities, but more importantly how to interact with their child under the reality of being a survivor.

"If your child does decide to report an assault to their college/university, this is where parents can play an active role in making sure the school adequately responds, and very importantly, holding the institution accountable if they fail to do so," explains Poth.

For instance, the parents of a survivor at the University of Kansas are currently suing the University for false advertising on the basis that they claimed that students would be safe on campus dormitories, which did not hold in their daughter"s case.

"Our feeling is that the university cannot say their campus and their dorms are safe unless they really are safe," stated Amanda Tackett, mother of the survivor, to the Kansas City Star.

Nonetheless, at the heart of a parent"s responsibility when their child comes forth as a survivor is to first and foremost ensure that their child is getting the help they want, in the manner that they want it.

"When someone is sexually assaulted, they have had all of their power stripped away from them," explains Poth of The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling and Education. "Their humanity has been forcibly denied…The most vital step for a parent to take in response is to empower their child. Give control back to them. Let your child decide if they want to go to the hospital, if they want to report, if they want to tell anyone."

The post Parents Join The Fight Against Campus Sexual Assault appeared first on Generation Progress.

Together with another student, Arifa proposed and developed a more inclusive domestic violence and sexual assault policy for more than half a million students within the City University of New York system.

"I was already really involved in campus organizing," said Arifa to Generation Progress. "And because of my position in Hunter College"s Student Government, I was the representative for Hunter College… in the CUNY-wide student government and that allowed me access to CUNY administration, which helped us start the whole process."

The new CUNY policy was an improvement because it created safer spaces for both survivors of sexual assault and those who chose to outwardly support them.

"The policy includes new and comprehensive guidelines for students and counselors, establishes disciplinary procedures, creates on-campus advocates for victims, provides education and training for faculty and staff, and ensures assistance for students in obtaining medical care and counseling," explains the official statement from CUNY.

In many ways, CUNY"s 2010 move to approve such an exhaustive policy was ahead of the curve; most colleges are just now, under the pressure of increased Title IX investigations, choosing to revisit their campus sexual assault policies.

Brigham Young University, for instance, a Mormon, private university, announced at the beginning of May that it would be invoking a task force and launching a website that allows anyone to offer feedback to the university on its handling of sexual assaults. But Brigham Young University impetus for change came after various survivors came forth with allegations that the university treated survivors unfairly.

BYU is not the only example of how students, activists and survivors have sparked changed. Much of the change that has happened across college campuses is due to grassroots movements. Students across the nation have taken on the role of activists and openly embraced the role of active bystander.

"I absolutely think that students should get involved and organize," explains Arifa. "I think grassroots organization is probably the best kind, I think it"s so important, not just for the causes they"re fighting for, but also for the skills [they gain] and the way it changes society."

At a federal government level, the White House has also acknowledged the power behind grassroots movements on campus. Vice President Joe Biden has persistently pushed forth the idea that the more students who become active bystanders, the less likely it is for sexual assaults to occur on campuses.

Currently, statistics show that 1 in 5 women will be sexually assaulted during their time in college. Historically, of the individuals who are sexually assaulted, less than 5 percent of them report their assaults.

The lack of reporting can be traced back to various different reasons, from not trusting college"s investigative process to fearing that they will not believed.

Vice President Joe Biden has taken the lead in the White House in the national efforts to stamp out sexual assault. "Until we make a pariah of all those who believe they have a right to say, "˜She asked for it," we won"t make the progress we have to make,” he remarked to students at a campus event for the White House’s It’s On Us campaign.

Jerin Arifa shares the Vice President"s beliefs as evidenced by her work to the cause as a student and her continued work on the overall conversation around campus sexual assault as a post-grad activist.

Her work, she explains, "really helped [her] grow as a professional and as an individual." She currently is the President and Founder of the First Virtual Chapter of the National Organization for Women.

She has also seen the impact of how becoming active bystanders and student activists have impacted the lives of those she served with.

"A lot of the people that personally worked with me have jobs now that are directly related to the campus organizing that they did," she tells Generation Progress.

The post Students Lead The Charge For Comprehensive Sexual Assault Policies At CUNY appeared first on Generation Progress.

The report, titled "Indicators of School Crime and Safety 2015," found that while the number of reported crimes has dropped across college campuses nationwide, the number of sexual assaults has significantly increased. Campus sexual assaults jumped from about 4,000 in 2012 to 5,000 in 2013.

While the numbers are troubling, Christopher Krebs, a chief scientist at nonprofit research organization RTI International, who studies sexual assaults on campuses, said,"It"s just not possible to know whether rates went up or simply rates of reporting went up."

As is widely reported, it is hard to distinguish if the number of reported sexual assaults has increased because there"s an increase in incidents or an increased sense of safety that encourages survivors to come forward.

In May 2015, Senator Gillibrand (D-NY) and Senator Boxer (D-CA) released data that mirrored that of the BJS, stating how instrumental media attention and grassroots movements have been to the campus sexual assault awareness movement.

In their report, the senators found that there had been an increase from 3,264 sexual assaults reported in 2009 to 6,016 reported in 2013.

"We believe this increase is the result in the increase in federal enforcement efforts, as well as the growing public attention paid to the issue of campus sexual assault," states the report.

The Obama administration has been adamant in tying public awareness efforts with policy on the issue of campus sexual assault. Since 2014, Vice President Biden has led It"s On Us, a movement that calls for students across college campuses to become active bystanders.

Currently, national statistics find that 1 in 5 women will be sexually assaulted during their time in college. Of those women less than 5 percent will report their incidents of sexual assault for various reasons, one often being the culture on campus that they fear would ostracize or harm them.

The post New Data Indicates A Rise In Sexual Assault Allegations Despite Decreasing Campus Crime Numbers appeared first on Generation Progress.

After the Salt Lake Tribune"s extended coverage of campus sexual assault at BYU, LDS Church stated:

"Media have published deeply personal stories of victims of sexual assault who feel they have been treated poorly when reporting their assault. They are painful to read, but we do not believe they represent the ideals BYU or Church leaders follow when responding to victims."

In multiple statements coming out of BYU, alleged sexual assault survivors have claimed that the existence of both the Title IX and Honor Code departments on campus make it difficult for them to come forward.

"I said, "˜I"d like to propose that victims of sexual violence have some kind of immunity clause from the Honor Code, because it creates a hostile environment for victims who think they"re going to get in trouble for reporting,"" said Madi Barney, a student at BYU who spoke at a sexual assault awareness conference on campus, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

Barney, who has an open criminal case for an alleged sexual assault in her off-campus apartment, is currently being investigated under the University"s Honor Code, to determine if her alleged sexual assault in any way violated the Honor Code.

In defense of the allegations that BYU is prioritizing the Honor Code over the protection of sexual assault survivors, LDS Church stated:

"Let us be perfectly clear: There is no tolerance for sexual assault at BYU or in the Church. Assault of any kind is a serious criminal offense, and we support its reporting, investigation and prosecution to the full extent of the law."

In an effort to underscore BYU"s implemented changes, LDS Church continued with:

"In instances where there may have been conflict between meeting Honor Code and Title IX priorities, BYU is taking significant steps, including forming an advisory council to explore these circumstances and make recommendations for change, as needed."

BYU has moved forward with a proactive approach to addressing sexual assault on campus by launching both a dedicated website for feedback, as well as an advisory council that will study how BYU addresses campus sexual assault and any areas of improvement.

"Brigham Young University is committed to thoroughly addressing concerns related to sexual assault and violence to foster a safe, respectful campus climate," reads the University"s feedback website. "As part of this process, we are seeking feedback from the campus and community on matters related to sexual assault."

The four-person advisory council does not have a deadline for submitting its reports, but hopes to be done soon, according to Deseret News.

The post Brigham Young University Addresses Campus Sexual Assault After Honor Code Controversy appeared first on Generation Progress.

According to The Kansas City Star, both students–in separate lawsuits–are also accusing the school "of negligence in failing to warn and protect the women against a "˜foreseeably dangerous environment" at K-State and of falsely promoting Greek life on the Manhattan campus as "fun and safe."

The cases allegedly happened at off-campus Greek houses, which is why the students say the school did not investigate the cases.

Under Title IX, colleges and universities across the nation are required to investigate any allegations of sexual assault that are brought to their attention, if the incidents occur between two students.

A representative for Kansas State University said in a statement, according to The Kansas City Star:

"The university said it "˜does not discuss litigation matters in the media, nor do we publicly discuss individual reports of discrimination, including sexual violence"¦.the university has a strong policy prohibiting discrimination, including sexual violence, and provides a multitude of resources and assistance to students and employees."

Kansas State University is one of over 200 open claims that the Department of Education"s Office for Civil Rights is currently investigating; in these cases universities are being investigated for potentially violating Title IX when it comes to how campus sexual assault. The number of colleges being investigated has progressively increased since the initial list of 50-something were released in May 2014. In many cases the increased media attention to the issue of campus sexual assault is often credited for the increase in survivors coming forward as survivors.

Nationally the statistics state that one in five women will be sexually assaulted during their time in college. Of those who are sexually assaulted less than five percent historically report their assault and somewhere between 75 and 90 percent of assaults are committed by someone the survivor knows.

The details of the Kansas State assaults are mostly very scarce since it is an active investigation.

The post Two Lawsuits Claim Kansas State University Failed To Investigate Off-Campus Sexual Assaults appeared first on Generation Progress.