EROC advocates for fair and adequate campus adjudication policies for sexual assault and interpersonal violence, and for legislation on local, state, and federal levels. Our staff also regularly consult with policymakers and thought leaders across the world.
We advocate for policy reforms that are inclusive of the following:
- Reflective of the significant effects that sexual violence has on survivors
- Trauma-informed and survivor-centric
- A validation, prioritization, and commitment to ensuring the survivor’s agency to seek help in whatever way is best for them
- Policies that prioritize the needs of LGBTQ-identified survivors of violence, and treat reports of queer violence equally to those of heterosexual and cisgendered students
- Provisions that incentivize educational institutions to prevent sexual assault and address it adequately when it occurs
Campus Policy Reform
You can work to reform your campus policy by connecting with other survivors, activists, and organizations that have on-campus chapters. Please see our resources page for a list. If you are interested in bringing an EROC speaker to your campus, please contact us here.
If you have been sexually assaulted and you believe that your campus may have violated Title IX, the Clery Act, or other federal laws, you have the option of filing a federal complaint to the U.S. Department of Education.
Local Policy Reform
At EROC, we advocate for trauma-informed local policies that streamline communications between survivors, institutions, and relevant local agencies and organizations. At the local level, EROC encourages the following reforms:
- Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) between on-campus security or police forces and the local police department. MOUs streamline information sharing between on-campus security and police forces, limiting the hours a survivor must spend detailing their assault with a non-mental health professional.
- SANE Nurses at the local hospitals or partnerships with medical advocates at local rape crisis centers or services.
State Legislation
EROC advocates for laws that prevent sexual violence and support survivors in both campus and law enforcement processes. Addressing campus sexual violence with a state-by-state strategy is a promising tactic, and EROC encourages activists to consider this approach in conjunction with federal policy advocacy. We support legislation on the state level that includes, but is not limited to, the following proposals:
- Age-appropriate consent and healthy relationships education from elementary school to college
- Advocating for an end to statutes of limitations for sex crimes
- Trauma-informed training for law enforcement, including training that addresses issues specific to marginalized communities
- While reporting to law enforcement is an individual decision that is up to every survivor, we believe that every survivor should have the option to safely report if they choose to do so. To that end, we advocate for legislation that will protect survivors if they opt to report their assault to law enforcement.
Federal Legislation
EROC supports groundbreaking federal legislation, including the bi-partisan Campus Accountability and Safety Act (Gillibrand, D-NY) and the HALT Act (Speier, D-CA). While we believe that changing our culture is the key to ending campus sexual violence in the long term, we recognize the impact that legislative change can have in spurring national dialogues and improving existing laws.
We encourage legislation on the federal level that includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- Heightened enforcement of Title IX, Title II, and the Clery Act
- Enhanced transparency from the U.S. Department of Education on issues relating to campus sexual violence and harassment
- Improving the ability of the U.S. Department of Education to fine institutions for violating Title IX
- Implementing mandatory exit surveys at all federally funded institutions
- The expansion and enforcement of Title IX protections for survivors of online harassment and cyberstalking
- Limiting access to firearms on campuses
