With the imminent introduction of a bipartisan bill toughening penalties against schools that improperly handle sexual assault, various colleges and universities are not thrilled.

According to the Huffington Post, the bill will be introduced Wednesday morning during a news conference. With so many schools under federal investigation for allegations of mishandled sexual assault investigations, the White House formed a task force that was to create recommendations for such a piece of legislation.

The U.S. Education Department's Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is conducting 71 investigations from allegations of Violence Against Women Act, Clery Act and Title IX violations. College leaders are already fed up with having to adhere to several different, and sometimes conflicting, guidelines.

"I don't think anyone is disputing that sexual assault occurs on college campuses and the broader society," Anne Neal, president and co-founder of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, told the HP. "But I think it's sad the administration is more interested in assisting privileged college students and not helping victims outside of the ivory tower.

"This system being rolled out on campuses will end up requiring a very extensive, costly quasi-judicial apparatus that will disregard due process and constitutional protections."

Neal suggested more attention be placed on training police departments to be more sensitive and thorough. While not representing all cases, several OCR complaints involve a police officer who allegedly dismissed a victim's rape claim or did not follow through with witnesses and other case details.

Mary Corbett Broad, president of the American Council on Education, wrote a letter in June to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions. In instances of sexual assault, she said "college administrators are often asked to be all things to all people." She said many colleges are not prepared to discipline such a weighty crime.

"We lack the authority to subpoena witnesses, control evidence and impose legal standards," Broad wrote. "Our disciplinary and grievance procedures were designed to provide appropriate resolution of institutional standards for student conduct, especially with respect to academic matters. They were never meant for misdemeanors, let alone felonies."

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