Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) and the state's lawmakers have announced an agreement on a bill that would require the inclusion of students' sexual assault violations on their transcripts.
Titled "Enough is Enough," the bill passed New York's Senate and General Assembly Wednesday, the Huffington Post reported, and Cuomo is expected to sign it into law. New York is expected to adopt an affirmative consent policy for all its colleges alongside the new bill.
"Today is a victory for students across New York State," Cuomo said in a statement. "As the Governor, and as a father, I am proud that with this legislation New York will become a national leader in the fight against sexual assault on college campuses. This action is a major step forward to protect students from an issue that has been plaguing schools nationwide for far too long. Once again, New York is setting the standard for other states to follow, and I look forward to signing this legislation into law as soon as possible."
In college-handled disciplinary cases, which campus sexual assault often falls under, students are not found "guilty" or "not guilty," but "responsible" or "not responsible" instead. Colleges are also often not required to include student conduct violations on academic transcripts.
New York would be the second state to adopt such a bill, joining Virginia, but the state would also join a small group of states in enacting a "Yes Means Yes" policy. The policy would require a clear affirmation from both parties in a sexual encounter and thus far, only Calif. has put a statewide mandate in place.
New York now joins Connecticut as the latest states to consider it.
Students facing conduct code violations such as sexual assault can sometimes transfer schools to evade punishment, as an unresolved charge would not be included on their transcript. New York's bill would aim to stop this from happening, making schools fully aware of prospective transfer students' record.
