Both Butler County Community College and Slippery Rock University this fall are operating under new government directives for sexual assault policy and prevention.

July 1 marked the beginning of changes listed in the federal Campus SaVE Act, which was sponsored by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.

SaVE, which stands for Sexual Violence Elimination, is a section of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act that amends Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

Its purpose is to increase awareness and prevention of sexual assault by providing information, prevention programs and assistance for victims, according to a press release from Casey’s office.

The act requires that colleges and universities include in their annual security reports a statement of policy regarding domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking awareness and prevention programs and the procedures they follow when an offense occurs.

It also requires colleges to start teaching bystander education programs to tell men and women that they have a responsibility to prevent sexual assaults.

Jodi Solito, director of SRU’s Women’s Center, said that SRU has already been doing many of the things listed in the act.

Each student is required before arriving on campus to take the online course “MyStudentBody” that addresses health, alcohol and sexual abuse.

For the past three years, SRU has also taught Step Up!, a bystander intervention program that started with the University of Arizona’s athletic program.

All new students go through the program during the Weekend of Welcome before classes begin. It teaches students to not just look out for themselves but also their peers.

“‘Step Up’ is not specific to sexual violence,” said Solilto.

She said the program could apply to someone who is drinking too much or might be in a situation to be harmed.

Some students also receive additional education from the Women’s Center during FYRST Seminar, a one-semester, one-credit course that many new students take.

Linda Dodd, executive director of human resources at BC3, said the college’s Title IX response team participates in an annual two-day training that teaches faculty members how to deal with a sexual misconduct complaint.

That training also focuses on what the college needs to do to be compliant with legislation, with help from the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education.

BC3 students, staff, faculty and administration receive a memo each semester entitled “Take the First Step and be in the Know: Sexual Assault Awareness and Preventive Measures Resource Tool.”

It includes definitions of consent and sexual violence and instructions on what to do if a student is assaulted and lists counseling resources.

The new directives, including bystander education, will be incorporated in that memo, Dodd said.

Both SRU and BC3 release annual security reports listing reported criminal activities, which is required by the Uniform Crime Reporting Act.

BC3 reported one sex offense in 2013 and none in 2014.

SRU, which breaks down the reported offenses more specifically, reported one forcible sex offense, one domestic violence incident and one stalking case in 2013.

There were zero nonforcible sex offenses, zero dating violence and zero hate crime cases reported in 2013.

Though the data may not indicate a serious problem, there are offenses that go unreported, Solito said.

Studies have indicated that 20 percent to 25 percent of women in college will experience an attempted or an actual assault by the time they graduate.

Legislation like the SaVE Act is important because it brings attention to a serious issue and promotes productive conversations at colleges and elsewhere, she said.

“It just seems to me that we can’t lose sight that it is an epidemic. In my opinion it is an epidemic on college campuses,” she said.

Grove City College, since it does not participate in federal Title IV programs, is not required to comply with the new legislation.