FIT hosted a news conference on May 11 with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who endorsed the Governor’s Enough Is Enough legislation, which would require all colleges in the state, both public and private, to adopt strict policies regarding sexual assault and to treat it as a criminal justice matter. FIT President Joyce F. Brown and Jessica Accardi, an FIT Fashion Merchandising Management student who is treasurer of the FIT Student Association, as well as the recently-elected treasurer of the SUNY Student Assembly, also spoke. FIT supports the legislation.
The high-energy, standing-room-only crowd comprised FIT students, faculty, and staff, as well as news media, supporters of the legislation and Democratic New York City Representatives Yvette Clarke, Jerry Nadler, Carolyn Maloney, Jose Serrano, and Nydia Velázquez. Christine Quinn, special advisor to the governor; and Dr. Howard Zucker, New York Commissioner of Health, were also in attendance.
Dr. Brown, who has championed a stronger policy against sexual violence at the college, led off the speeches. “Governor, FIT is by your side as you lead the nation in the fight against sexual assault on campuses,” she said, “because enough really is enough.”
Pelosi, whose home state of California has passed “yes means yes” legislation, requiring affirmative consent in schools receiving public aid, called Cuomo’s bill “a model for the country.” Hochul, who has traveled New York State, speaking with survivors on campuses, said, “You’ve got to have a heart of stone not to be moved by their stories.” And Cuomo called sexual assault “a symptom of the illness” of pervasive discrimination against women throughout society. Sexual assault, he said, “is not a campus disciplinary issue. It is a crime, and it has to be treated that way.” Accardi offered the perspective of a young woman and residence hall assistant on campus. “All students should be protected, no matter what school they go to,” she said.
Enough Is Enough would implement a statewide definition of affirmative consent; an amnesty policy for students reporting incidents of sexual violence, granting them immunity for breaking drug and alcohol use policies; a Sexual Violence Victim/Survivor Bill of Rights that educates students about their legal rights and available resources; and a sexual violence training requirement for administrators, staff, and students. All 1.2 million college students in New York would be affected.