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This executive order provides campuses with guidelines for implementing the
Governor's California Campus Blueprint to Address Sexual Assault as well as campus
requirements due to recent legislation.
I. California Campus Blueprint to Address Sexual Assault
The California Campus Blueprint to Address Sexual Assault contains
considerations for campus administrators, including specific action steps that can
be taken to improve individual campus responses to sexual assault.
Because of the prevalence of sexual violence among college women, it is essential
that the CSU establish comprehensive victim services programs, prevention education
programs, judicial protocols, law enforcement and security response, and training for
faculty and staff. In addition, a number of state and federal laws outline a range of
requirements for institutions of higher education regarding sexual assault crimes.
In response, campus administrators must create protocols and policies to ensure
compliance with these laws.
At a minimum, each plan should include a:
- Campus sexual assault policy that defines prohibited behavior and sanctions
for violations;
- Campus protocol for responding to reported sexual assaults;
- Coordinated victim services delivery system utilizing campus and/or
community-based resources;
- Campus plan to prevent sexual assaults;
- Set of policies and practices that address all campus community members
(e.g., students, faculty, staff) as potential victims or perpetrators of sexual assault; and,
- Plan to provide faculty and staff training.
When addressing campus sexual assault, administrators should make use of both
on- and off-campus resources, including local rape crisis centers, municipal law enforcement
agencies, district attorneys' offices, and forensic medical examination sites. This model
allows campuses to draw upon the expertise and resources of a broader group and decreases
the likelihood that limited financial or personnel resources may prohibit the provision of
a basic level of response and services.
Copies of the Blueprint can be obtained from www.calcasa.org.
II. California Legislation Regarding Sexual Assault
Assembly Bill 1088 was passed in October 2005 and codified in the California Education
Code Section 67385.7. This law requires campus administrators to:
- Provide as part of all campus orientations educational and preventative
information about sexual violence to students; and post sexual violence prevention
and education information on its campus Internet web site.
- The education and prevention information provided should include, but is not
necessarily limited to, all of the following:
- Common facts and myths about the causes of sexual violence;
- Dating violence, rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking
crimes, including information on how to file internal administrative complaints
with the campus and how to file criminal charges with local law enforcement officials;
- The availability of, and contact information for, campus and community
resources for students who are victims of sexual violence;
- Methods of encouraging peer support for victims and the imposition of sanctions
on offenders; and,
- Information regarding campus, criminal, and civil consequences of committing
acts of sexual violence.
- Campuses shall develop policies to encourage students to report any campus crimes
involving sexual violence to the appropriate campus authorities.
- Campuses are urged to adopt policies to eliminate barriers for victims who come
forward to report sexual assaults, and to advise students regarding these policies.
These policies may include exempting the victim from campus sanctions for being in violation
of any campus policies, including alcohol or substance abuse policies or other policies of
the campus at the time of the incident.
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