Betsy DeVos, Campus Assault Protections Preservation, California 2020

Survivors of campus sexual assault face a fresh threat as Education Secretary Betsy DeVos considers gutting federal protections, prompting 20 state attorneys general to issue a forceful warning: roll back these rules and you put students in danger. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and New Mexico’s Hector Balderas led the charge, delivering a blunt letter on July 19, 2017, demanding DeVos abandon plans to weaken Title IX enforcement.

The stakes are dire. Federal data shows 20.5% of college women experience sexual assault after enrolling, and one in five women nationwide will be assaulted in their lifetime. Yet most attacks never see the light of justice—only 5% of incidents are reported, often because victims fear retaliation, disbelief, or a broken system. The 2011 and 2014 Department of Education guidelines were meant to fix that, requiring schools to appoint Title IX coordinators, enforce mandatory reporting, and establish fair investigative procedures.

Now, those safeguards hang in the balance. Reports suggest the Trump administration is preparing to dismantle key components, emboldened by remarks from Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Candice Jackson, who dismissed 90% of complaints as drunken misunderstandings or post-breakup grievances. The AGs called the comments reckless, undermining survivors and trivializing violent crime.

“We’re calling on Secretary DeVos to listen to law enforcement and trust survivors of sexual assault by keeping these protections in place and putting student safety first,” Shapiro stated, drawing a line in the sand. Balderas added: “Secretary DeVos and the Trump Administration cannot continue to put students in danger by considering harmful rollbacks that will weaken fundamental protections afforded under Title IX.”

With 344 open Title IX investigations nationwide as of July 9, 2017—including 64 already resolved—the pressure is mounting. The coalition of attorneys general represents a bipartisan front demanding collaboration, urging DeVos to engage directly with state enforcers and stakeholders instead of pushing through policies that erase accountability.

“Violence on America’s campuses must be taken seriously,” the AGs warned. For the hundreds of thousands of students navigating trauma in silence, the outcome of this fight could determine whether justice is a promise—or just paperwork.

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