Plan To Increase Sexual Assault Reporting At Colleges Gets Hearing

A bill that aims to remove barriers to reporting sexual assault on college campuses in Wisconsin had a hearing before a state Senate committee on Tuesday.

Under the plan, victims of sexual assault couldn’t be fined for underage drinking. The bill would also allow a citation exemption for bystanders of the assault who help the victim.

Studies estimate at least half of campus sexual assaults involve alcohol and, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, more than 90 percent of sexual assault victims on college campuses don’t report the crime.

“We need to take care of survivors of this awful crime,” said Kari Sasso, assistant chief at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department. “And we need to make sure they know they’re in a safe place when they come forward to talk to us.”

The bill mirrors policies already in use by many colleges and law enforcement agencies across the state, including the UW-Madison. According to Sasso, the UW-Madison policy, which went into effect about five years ago, has encouraged more reporting of campus sexual assaults.

A study released by the Association of American Universities last fall found 27 percent of female undergraduates at the University of Wisconsin-Madison reported being sexually assaulted since starting college. In the wake of the study, the university has called attention to policies, resources and initiatives it’s added in recent years, including staff tasked with providing confidential victim advocacy. The school released a new plan for addressing sexual assault last month.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Joan Ballweg, R-Markesan, passed in the Assembly last month. The full Senate is expected to take up the measure on March 15, when lawmakers return to Madison for their final votes of the year.