Gothamist.com
5.12.15 | Emma Whitford
With six weeks left in the current legislative session, Governor Cuomo is actively pushing his Enough is Enough campaign. Introduced in February, the campaign calls for a state-wide college campus "affirmative consent" policy, that would eliminate any grey area in which silence on the part of a sexual assault victim might be construed as consent.
New York's 64 SUNY colleges instated the policy last year. If the new legislation passes, consent at both public and private universities would be defined as "a clear, unambiguous, and voluntary agreement between the participants to engage in specific sexual activity."
According to Cuomo, fewer than 5% of college rapes nationwide are reported to law enforcement officials. Last year California became the first state to pass an affirmative consent law.
Since February, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul and former City Council speaker Christine Quinn have been touring the state to promote Enough is Enough, and New York State Police launched a 24-hour hotline dedicated to responding to reports of sexual assault and violence on campuses.
And back in March, Cuomo enlisted Whoopi Goldberg to help spread his message.
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