Advocates on every campus

All 23 California State University campuses—including Chico State—will appoint independent, on-campus advocates for victims of sexual assault, lawmakers announced Sept. 22.

In July, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and U.S. Rep. Susan Davis (D-San Diego) introduced federal legislation under which all colleges and universities that receive federal funding must appoint advocates to support victims with emergency medical care, guidance on reporting assaults to law enforcement and information on their legal rights, according to the Los Angeles Times. Just last month, Boxer asked California’s colleges to voluntarily adopt the provisions.

A federal audit of Chico State’s Title IX compliance, released in June, found the university lacking in the areas of training employees how to respond to reports of sexual assault and educating students on what campus resources are available.

The new provisions include a system-wide Title IX compliance officer.