Annie Kuster: “It astonishes me that by the time women graduate from college, one in five will be a victim of sexual assault. Colleges…”

“It astonishes me that by the time women graduate from college, one in five will be a victim of sexual assault. Colleges are institutions of higher learning, and no student-- especially young women--should ever feel threatened on the campus that they call home for 4 years. I applaud the President for announcing a series of efforts to strengthen Federal involvement and provide schools with the tools needed to end sexual assault on campuses. We must work across the aisle to put an end to this violence and to give victims the support they need. The new Web site launched yesterday, notalone.gov, will do just that: increase transparency through annual surveys and information on the prevalence of sexual assault on campuses. As a member of the third class of women ever to graduate from Dartmouth College, I was proud to see President Phil Hanlon step up to address unsafe and inappropriate behavior on the Dartmouth campus and to see the University of New Hampshire recognized for its initiatives to reduce sexual violence on campus. We must continue to address these issues head-on and ensure a safe and secure environment for learning for all college students, men and women. ____________________”