Believing survivors is just the first step.
The horrifying allegations emerging from a lawsuit against Cornell University serve as a watershed moment for college safety across our country. In the suit, a former student alleges she was drugged and sexually assaulted by seven fraternity members over several hours.
Vulgar Snapchat messages and lewd photos exchanged by the perpetrators paint a stomach-churning picture of a toxic culture, with members actively coordinating the assault while the victim was partially incapacitated and unable to consent.
Though Cornell’s subsequent disciplinary process is facing severe criticism for its glaring procedural lapses, the broader lesson for Hawaii is clear: We must aggressively disrupt the spread of violence on our own university campuses.
As a survivor of campus sexual assault, I know intimately what happens when the institutions entrusted with student safety fail the communities they exist to serve. Yet, I also know that Hawaii has previously demonstrated a profound commitment to changing this narrative.
In 2023, survivors and advocates championed Act 76, a comprehensive campus safety measure spearheaded by the determined leadership of state Rep. Jeanne Kapela. The measure expanded confidential advocacy access and mandated trauma-informed training for those handling gender violence complaints at the University of Hawaii.
Crucially, the law also codified amnesty provisions into law, ensuring students aren’t punished for minor conduct violations, like underage drinking or substance use, when reporting sexual violence. This simple change removed a massive systemic barrier that has historically kept survivors silent out of fear of institutional retaliation.
We are seeing early, encouraging signs of progress from these changes. UH’s 2025 campus climate survey reported slight declines in sexual harassment, stalking, nonconsensual sexual contact and domestic violence. But statistical progress is not the same as real safety.
When applied across the more than 39,000 students represented in that survey, the data indicates that an estimated 800 students still experienced sexual assault during the prior academic year. Furthermore, 2,700 students experienced sexual harassment, 1,750 experienced stalking, and nearly 3,200 experienced dating or domestic violence.
Compounding this, only 13% of students recalled attending university-sponsored training on sexual misconduct. This lingering information gap continues to reproduce the very conditions under which life-altering violence festers.
Local leaders must seize this moment to build upon Act 76 with stronger accountability measures. To begin, Hawaii should establish an independent oversight process for handling complaints regarding institutional compliance during sexual misconduct proceedings. Survivors need an objective pathway to hold UH accountable when investigations are mishandled.
Additionally, we must establish explicit standards requiring all campus investigations to be prompt, impartial and deeply trauma-informed. When UH receives multiple misconduct reports tied to a single organization, program or campus environment, it should be legally required to conduct a thorough safety assessment to determine if emergency actions are warranted.
Finally, legislators should close a dangerous loophole in Hawaii’s sexual assault laws. Hawaii is one of 19 states that limit the definition of mental incapacitation to circumstances in which an intoxicating substance is administered without the victim’s consent.
That creates a perilous distinction in the law for survivors who voluntarily consume alcohol or drugs, but later become too incapacitated to consent to sexual activity. Several states are already moving to close similar loopholes. Hawaii should follow suit and advance the unmistakable principle that choosing to drink is not choosing to be sexually assaulted.
In 2023, Hawaii built a vital foundation for campus safety. Now, we must reinforce that groundwork so every student can pursue their education within a culture of trust, not fear.
Kris Coffield is president of Imua Alliance, a nonprofit service provider for survivors of sexual exploitation and gender violence.
