By Angelina Nunez
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore sent a directive to the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) last week calling for a review of campus sexual assault policies and recommendations to improve them.
The letter came after a nationwide uproar over Cornell University’s alleged failure to properly address a student’s sexual assault claims.
“Deeply troubling accounts have emerged in recent days of how students outside of Maryland have bravely come forward to report sexual assault and have been failed by the institutions that are supposed to ensure their safety,” Moore wrote in the letter to MHEC secretary Elena Quiroz-Livanis.
MHEC is responsible for shaping and monitoring sexual assault policy for all higher education institutions in Maryland, making biennial reports on incident data. Moore’s directive insisted the commission improve its policy, not long after its 2024-26 report was released in August.
The directive gave the commission 90 days to work with the Office of the Attorney General and submit recommendations. Depending on the commission’s recommendations, any or all higher education institutions in Maryland may be subject to policy changes.
The recommendations should aim “to enhance the safety of our college campuses and to ensure accountability when these efforts fail,” Moore wrote in the directive.
“I’m happy to hear that [Moore is] saying something about it,” senior chemistry major Josilyn Magno said. “We want to see something change.”
Magno is the co-creator of Terps4Teal, a student-led initiative against sexual violence aimed at spreading on-campus awareness. She said the directive gives her hope, but she’s still waiting to see real change across the state.
“We really just want to see action behind the statements … We should feel safe on these college campuses,” Magno said.
Courtney Fisher, Ph.D. and Juris Doctor, teaches courses at the University of Maryland on subjects such as victimology and works professionally as a victim advocate. Fisher said there are structural and cultural barriers throughout the country when it comes to reporting sexual assault. Still, at an institution like UMD, there are multiple outlets that students who experience sexual violence can seek help.
“Things have improved dramatically [at UMD] in the past 20 years because there is a CARE (Campus Advocates Respond and Educate to Stop Violence) office … and there is an OCRSM (Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct),” Fisher said.
If UMD students experience sexual violence, they can go to OCRSM and file a formal report through the Title IX office. If a student is seeking confidential support, they may go to CARE for emotional and advocacy assistance.
Featured Image: A demonstrator holds a sign in the air that read, “Believe Women,” on Oct. 8, next to the Washington Monument. Photo by Vanessa Lim.