Senators Call Out Fraternities, Sororities For Backing Safe Campus Act

Article here. Excerpt:

'Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) called out national fraternity and sorority groups for lobbying to support a bill that would limit college sexual assault investigations. 

Taking aim at the North-American Interfraternity Conference and the National Panhellenic Conference, the senators held a special phone call with reporters on Thursday to declare the groups' support of the Safe Campus Act "misguided." 

The Safe Campus Act would block colleges from taking action on reports of sexual assault unless the alleged victim also reports the attack to police. The requirement would not apply to any other form of misconduct.

"Keep in mind, they have only carved out this exception for sexual assault -- not any of the other violent crimes," McCaskill said. "So a young woman could be robbed at gunpoint, decide she wanted to just try to get that person off campus and go to their university ... but if she was raped, she would not be able to do that unless she went to the police."

The NIC and NPC hired former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, a Mississippi Republican, as a lobbyist to push the groups' position on campus rape rules, The Huffington Post first reported. Congressional lobbying records show the fraternity groups have spent $210,000 this year -- $70,000 per quarter -- on this effort. 

Both Gillibrand and McCaskill noted they were members of sororities as undergraduates, but neither NIC or NPC had spoken with them prior to supporting the Safe Campus Act.'