Statement by the NCHERM Group, LLC on the 2015 Fair Campus Act and 2015 Safe Campus Act

BERWYN, Pa., Nov. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- This statement addresses two bills now before Congress that seek to regulate campus sexual misconduct, the Fair Campus Act (FCA) and the Safe Campus Act (SCA).  The NCHERM Group and its affiliated organizations are strongly opposed to many of the provisions in the Fair Campus and Safe Campus Acts, which aim to gut the protections afforded to students under Title IX, a federal statute prohibiting sex discrimination in education. 

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These two similar bills are wolves in sheep's clothing, with gratuitous victim-based protections included to disguise the true intent of the bills. In reality, these bills seek to enhance male privilege by increasing the protections for those accused of sexual violence, and to shroud fraternities with special protections that ensure their immunity from accountability and college regulation. 

The fraternity and sorority umbrella groups supporting this bill are taking a position in direct opposition to the college campuses that host them, and to victims of sexual violence. The fraternities and sororities that feel emboldened enough to back these bills publicly are revealing the true extent of their desperation and how utterly tone-deaf they are to the optics of advancing bills designed to roll back hard-fought protections – including equitable, compassionate and fair treatment by campuses – that victims/survivors have won under Title IX over the last five years. That sororities might blindly follow the fraternities in supporting these bills is a betrayal of the fundamental values of sisterhood that sororities purport to espouse, and as the tide turns against these bills, we expect to see more and more national groups publicly condemning the FCA and SCA. 

The NCHERM Group calls on fraternity and sorority members – students and alums – across this country to immediately contact the offices of your national headquarters and insist that they represent your voices in support of sex and gender equity on college campuses. Contact the NIC, NPC, AFA, FEA and other umbrella groups and associations serving fraternities and sororities to register your opinions. Call the Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee (FratPac) and the Fraternal Government Relations Coalition (FGRC) to demand that the Congressional sponsors of the FCA and SCA withdraw their bills, fire Trent Lott as their lobbyist, and help us to make Title IX stronger, not weaker.

On October 30^th, 2015, Senators Gillibrand and McCaskill, authors of pending legislation to broaden campus protections for victims/survivors, publicly lambasted fraternities and sororities for their poorly considered judgment in advancing the FCA and SCA. The NCHERM Group supports the McCaskill/Gillibrand CASA bill, and asks you to join us in celebrating the advances in civil rights that have been made under Title IX. This tide will continue to roll forward in the name of progress whether or not fraternities and sororities are on board, but it would be better for them to be on the right side of history.

The NCHERM Group is a strong proponent of due process.  Consultants train school and college administrators across the country to assure that essential fairness and the full protections of the law are afforded to every student.  TNG doesn't believe that due process protections on college campuses need to be expanded, but is dedicated to ensuring that the extensive legal protections already in place are honored and upheld on every campus. 

The NCHERM Group, LLC (TNG) is one of the nation's leading higher education law firms, representing the legal interests of more than 70 colleges and universities. In a consulting capacity, TNG's 25+ consultants advise more than 400 colleges and universities each year, and TNG has consulted with more than 4,000 colleges since being founded in 2000. TNG is known for publishing model policies, templates and materials that have become the industry standard for risk management in higher education. TNG operates membership associations SACCA, ATIXA and NaBITA as part of its prevention mission.  www.ncherm.org

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SOURCE The NCHERM Group, LLC