The Safe Campus Act is a divisive bill in the higher education community, but its supporters include one large, rich, and powerful entity: fraternities.

The North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) came out in support of the Safe Campus Act by wiping from its website a page that featured statements from groups that oppose the bill, The Huffington Post reported. The NIC formed in 1909 and currently consists of 74 fraternities in the U.S. and across the globe.

The NIC also joined the National Panhellenic Conference, Kappa Alpha Order, the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, and the Sigma Nu fraternity to hire former Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) to lobby for the Safe Campus Act, The HP previously reported.

The Safe Campus Act would prevent college administrators from taking disciplinary action against student found responsible of sexual assault unless the complainant also reports the crime to an outside police force. The HP counts 28 sexual assault victim advocate groups that oppose the bill, which also covers crimes like battery and theft.

While some of the groups that responded to The HP's request for comment declined to take a position, none endorsed the Safe Campus Act.

"The campus process and criminal process are two separate and distinct processes with different purposes and goals," Monika Johnson-Hostler, president of the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, told The HP. "Campuses should be able to continue their process regardless of the student's decision to move forward with a police report."

Schools cannot levy criminal charges after completing an investigation and their most severe punishment is expulsion. As such, they find students "responsible" or "not responsible," leaving complainants to decide whether or not to pursue criminal charges.

Some groups, like the Foundation of Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) and the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), fall in between the fraternities and advocate groups. Both groups believe local law enforcement should be more involved in campus sexual assault cases, but would not outright support the Safe Campus Act.

"ACTA believes that sexual assault wherever and whenever it occurs requires serious legal response," the group said in a statement. "The Safe Campus Act is helping to draw attention within the legislative discussion to the essential role of the criminal justice system and the crucial need for due-process rights."

Related