Gov. Cuomo Recognizes University for Support of ‘Enough is Enough’

In an op-ed piece published in New York Newsday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo cites support from Syracuse University for his proposal to strengthen laws aimed at preventing sexual assault and rape on college campuses. It’s called “Enough is Enough,” and recently Cuomo came to the Syracuse University campus to discuss the legislation.

Governor Thanks Syracuse University for Support of Enough is Enough from Syracuse University News on Vimeo.

In the op-ed, Cuomo urged passage of the law that would “create a statewide definition of affirmative consent, defining consent as a clear, unambiguous and voluntary agreement between the participants to engage in specific sexual activity. We need a uniform definition of affirmative consent, so that when complaints are made, there is a standard against which to judge them.

“Enough is Enough” also takes the following steps:

*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 that would be distributed to all students to specifically inform sexual violence victims of their legal rights and how they may access appropriate resources;

* training requirements for administrators, staff and students, including at student orientations, notifying students about rights and resources available to them and how the university will respond to reports of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking;

* campus climate assessments informed by at least bi-annual anonymous student surveys with results published online; and

* options for confidential disclosure and privacy in legal challenges to conduct filings, including plain language notification to students about confidentiality and privacy laws, and a list of confidential resources available to students.