Lady Gaga Backs NY 'Enough is Enough' Bill

According to the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault, one in four college women will be victims of sexual assault during college. But, fewer than five percent of rapes of college women are reported.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, with the help of pop Goliath Lady Gaga, are on a crusade to change those statistics and stop sexual assaults on college campuses with the "2015 Opportunity Agenda," more commonly known as "Enough is Enough."

"Enough is Enough"

Last year, all 64 campuses of the State University of New York and the City University of New York System adopted a Uniform Sexual Assault Policy on how to deal with sexual assaults on campuses.

This policy included:

• A definition of affirmative consent -- Consent is defined as a clear, unambiguous, and voluntary agreement to engage in specific sexual activity. Previously, the "no means no" policy required victims of sexual assaults to have said "no" or somehow resisted their sexual assault. However, victims often aren't in a position to say no because they were drunk or asleep. Now, consent must be an affirmative "yes," head nod, or a forward move towards the other person.
• An amnesty policy -- The amnesty policy promises that students who report sexual assaults or sexual violence will not be prosecuted or disciplined for certain campus policy violations such as drug and alcohol use.
• A Sexual Violence Victim/Survivor Bill of Rights -- The universities will distribute to all students information on sexual violence victims legal rights and victim resources. The Bill of Rights will also encourage students to report sexual assaults to law enforcement.
• Training -- Administrators, staff, and students will receive training on how to take and investigate sexual assault reports.

This policy currently only applies to public colleges and universities in New York. Andrew Cuomo and Lady Gaga want to pass the policy as law to require private colleges to comply as well.

Last year, California passed a similar law called "Yes means Yes" that mirrors many of the policies listed above. If New York is successful in its attempts to implement "Enough is Enough," we may see more sweeping changes nationwide.

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Related Resources:

• Lady Gaga, Gov. Cuomo Pen Essay Urging Passage of 'Enough Is Enough' Bill: Exclusive (Billboard)
• Sexual Assault Overview (FindLaw's Learn About the Law)
• 55 Colleges Facing Title IX Sexual Violence Investigations (FindLaw's Blotter)
• Police: No Evidence of Rape in UVA Fraternity Case (FindLaw's Blotter)