Kat Cammack

On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Situation Room,” Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) stated that “Cornell has highlighted a real deficiency that we have long seen on college campuses” on the handling of sexual assault claims. She also said schools “are not police departments.” And “what we have seen [in] these institutions, like university campuses, is that, many times, they seem more intent on protecting the reputation of the university than protecting the victims themselves.”

Cammack said, “[T]he university has had a broken system. They are not police departments.”

Co-host Pamela Brown asked, “Just very quickly, Rep. Cammack, what role do you think Congress has in addressing sexual misconduct on college campuses? I know your focus right now is changing the way it works on Capitol Hill, in terms of reporting and investigating and the system overall, but what about on college campuses in the wake of Cornell?”

Cammack answered, “Well, and certainly, Cornell has highlighted a real deficiency that we have long seen on college campuses. And I know that there [have] been some discussions about Title IX, but the thing that I think we all can agree upon is that it is not an opposing value to want transparent and effective and serious due process, along with protections for survivors. Those two issues, those are things that can coexist, along with equal opportunity for women on college campuses. So, while this has sparked a debate about Title IX, I do think, at its core, we need to recognize that sexual assault is a criminal act. It needs to be investigated and treated as such, and it needs to have a victim-centered approach while respecting due process. Everyone should know that these investigations are very real, that there is true accountability, and there’s no retaliation, because what we have seen [in] these institutions, like university campuses, is that, many times, they seem more intent on protecting the reputation of the university than protecting the victims themselves. So, that is something that needs to be addressed, and we as Congress should be looking into this very, very seriously.”