Illinois Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education Act

Illinois Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education Act

The Illinois Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education Act requires all Illinois colleges and universities to:

• develop a clear, comprehensive campus sexual violence policy, including detailed incident reporting options and university response guidelines;
• notify student survivors about their rights, including their right to confidentiality, and the protections the university can provide to ensure the student’s health and safety, such as obtaining an order of protection, changing class schedules or campus housing, and the availability of medical and counseling services;
• provide a confidential advisor to survivors to help them understand their options and rights, including the options to report the sexual assault and to seek medical and legal assistance;
• adopt a fair and balanced process for adjudicating allegations of sexual violence;
• train students and campus employees to prevent sexual violence and improve awareness and responsiveness to allegations of sexual violence;
• allow students to report information electronically, confidentially or anonymously (in addition to other methods offered by the college or university);
• allow a third party or bystander to report an incident;
• and respond to a report submitted electronically within 12 hours.