VP Joe Biden goes to UNH to Discusses New Guidelines Regarding Sex Crimes on School Campuses

VP Biden gets an “A” for bringing the issue to light of the increasing number of sex crimes on school campuses. Reading, Writing and Arrhythmic is not also supposed to include sexual assault.

Vice President Joe Biden travels to the Granite state today and will discuss at the University of New Hampshire new Education Department instructions to public school districts, colleges and universities about their responsibilities under civil rights laws to prevent sexual violence. However, is this just more federal government interference? Although I do not completely agree with the remedy of federal govt involvement, I do commend the Veep for bringing the issue to the forefront.

“Sexual violence can happen to anyone, and it happens at the best colleges,” Mr. Biden said in a statement. “Very few report the crime to law enforcement because when they do, universities often fail to discipline the offender, leaving him free to do it again.”

Mr. Biden’s New Hampshire visit is part of a broader effort by the Obama administration to draw attention to sexual violence and ways to prevent it, officials said.

“There is a terrible and alarming trend in the country of sexual violence,” said Russlyn H. Ali, assistant secretary of education who heads the Office of Civil Rights. (NY Times: Read full story)

 I do not doubt that Biden’s heart is in the right place; however, there needs to be a lot more to prevent sexual crimes on school campuses than an edict from on high from and Education Department and a 19 page letter to all educational institutions that receive federal money. Once again we are witness to the strings, ropes chains that are attached to receiving federal monies.

It says that once a school or university “knows or reasonably should know of possible sexual violence,” it must act to end the violence, protect those who have reported it and investigate to find out what happened.

Mr. Biden picked the university in Durham, N.H., to make his remarks, officials said, because it has exemplary sexual violence prevention programs.

 We have bigger problems in our schools if we need the Department of Education to tell schools that they need to act and protect victims of sex crimes.  “Knows or reasonably should know of possible sexual violence”? Isn’t the problem with sex crimes, especially in colleges, universities and high schools that victims do not come forward? It is not just the matter that victims feel that their attacker will not be punished, it is that the victim feels ashamed, to blame and in many cases does not want to relive the assault. That is the environment that needs to be changed.

It is rather pollyannaish to believe that sexual assaults in schools where gangs run ramped as going to be curbed by a 19 page Department of Education letter that says it should. Just curious, who is going to come forward, even if individuals are punished, knowing there is retribution? There is a far bigger issue than the punishment stage that needs to be addressed when it comes to sex crimes in schools. How elementary, high school and college issues are treated are not the same.

It is reported that Biden picked the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH, to make his remarks because it has exemplary sexual violence prevention programs. Funny, they did not need the government to tell them what to do although they did take federal grant money.

“Sexual assault and attempted sexual assault of women is a problem being addressed by many colleges and universities around the country, and first-year women students are especially vulnerable,” Stapleton said.

A study of unwanted sexual experiences conducted at UNH during the 2005-2006 academic year found that 30 percent of first-year women at UNH experienced unwanted sexual contact and 7 percent experienced sexual assault or attempted sexual assault, according to Moynihan. Almost half of the cases of sexual assaults of undergraduate women students involved force or threat of force.

 The main point here is that sexual assaults, rape and other sex crimes are a real issue in schools. It is not something that just needs the federal government telling others what should be done … it is a problem that needs to be addressed by all to protect innocent victims from an environment that in many ways promotes it and then provides an atmosphere of shame of the victims.