For the first time, Michigan will spend general fund dollars to prevent sexual assault on college campuses.
State lawmakers recently approved a budget with $500,000 dollars in grant money that programs can apply for.
State officials touted the item at a summit in Lansing on preventing campus sexual assault. It was hosted by Gov. Rick Snyder and First Lady Sue Snyder.
“Today is the day that we’re really going to take that first step forward. And we’re going to make Michigan a leader in solving this,” the first lady told reporters during the conference.
“People are ready to talk about this. I think it’s been swept under the rug far too often.”
Michigan State Police Director Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue admits the money won’t go very far.
“But it’s a good start,” Etue told reporters. “And I think what we can look at is, what is the need out there? What are some of the innovative ideas that we could education and look toward prevention on our college campuses?"
Three Michigan universities – Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, and Grand Valley State University – are under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for how they’ve handled sexual assault claims.
A number of state and federal policymakers at the conference say they’re reluctant to pass laws dictating how schools should handle those cases.
