Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, joined a bipartisan coalition that includes lawmakers and sexual-assault survivors as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

The coalition urges the Senate to pass the Campus Accountability and Safety Act, which would protect students, create a uniform discipline process and coordination with law enforcement, and provide colleges and universities with incentives to solve the problem of sexual assault on their campuses.

“We started from the premise that sexual assault is a serious crime and should be treated as a crime,” Grassley said. “The bill helps survivors get the support they need so they know their options. It’s meant to make them comfortable reporting to police and campus authorities. This is a commonsense bipartisan measure, and I hope to see it pass the Senate soon.”

More than 6,700 rapes and sexual battery were reported by college campuses in 2014, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education.

The bill also bolsters the Department of Education’s effectiveness in enforcing Title IX and holding institutions accountable that do violate Title IX — an essential gender-equity and civil-rights educational amendment that college students need, said Andrea Pino, director of Policy and Support at End Rape On Campus.

— by Rebecca Morin