Miranda Guardiola
The article describes process where legislation has given substantial power and authority to institutions of higher education and how these institutions are using their power to “measures, name and adjudicate (act as a judge) acts of campus sexual violence.” Wies emphasizes that the enrollment in higher education has risen significantly which requires the United States to reevaluate the existing laws surrounding sexual assault on college campuses in order to protect this growing group.
Statistics revolving around the rate of sexual assault on college campuses differ, but the range indicates roughly 1/5 to 1/4 of female students will experience rape or attempted rape during their time as a student. Luckily, this important social issue is growing in awareness due to various social media outlets. News channels are diligent to investigate and expose cases of sexual assault such as “a Heisman Trophy-winning student athlete at Florida State University,” and high-profile cases such as Harvard Law and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This increased exposure has led to the Obama administration creating new policies to help combat sexual violence on college campuses, and that is just the beginning. Institutions of higher education are being held accountable for creating or reevaluating procedures and programs to combat this issue as well.