Dive Brief:

• The U.S. Department of Education proposed a rule Thursday that would require colleges and universities to compile statistics on stalking, dating violence, and domestic violence.
• The proposed rule comes under the Clery Act requirements for colleges and universities to report crime statistics, with the new statistics intended to provide a more accurate assessment of the extent of sexual crimes.
• The public comment period on the proposed rule ends July 21.

Dive Insight:

This is latest in a series of moves by the federal government to combat sexual crimes on campuses by producing more public information on the issue. Example: Two months ago, a White House task force reported that 1 in 5 female college students is a victim of sexual assault and the Department of Education unveiled the list of schools under investigation for their handling of sexual abuse allegations. Both moves led to a raft of news coverage and opinion columns.

More statistics on sexual crimes will have a similar effect over the long term. According to the Associated Press, the proposed rule would also add gender identity and national origin as categories of bias under the Clery Act definition of hate crimes, strengthen confidentiality protections for victims, and require colleges and universities to ensure that both the accuser and the accused have the opportunity to have an adviser present during disciplinary proceedings.