Massey’s experience is not unique. Sexual assault is a significant issue on college campuses in Washington and across the country. Women age 18-24 who are college students are three times more likely to experience sexual violence than women across all age groups, while women 18-24 who are not enrolled in college face an even higher risk. More than half of all sexual assaults occur among people age 18-34, and many incidents go unreported.

Now Massey and other student advocates are pushing for change. A new bill in the Washington Legislature, Senate Bill 5355, aims to improve protections for student survivors. The legislation establishes clear rights for survivors of sex-based violence and harassment at certain public institutions of higher education. It mandates the creation of a Student Health and Safety Committee and employee and student training on sex-based and gender-based violence, and ensures that the Title IX process is completed within 180 business days. Additionally, universities must provide survivors with written information about their rights.

For Sen. Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines, the push to strengthen protections and resources for survivors of sexual assault in higher education has been years in the making. But this latest legislative effort didn’t start with policymakers — it started with students.

“I had a number of students reach out to me who were survivors of sexual assault, and they wanted to share their stories,” Orwall said. “That happened several years ago, and we’ve been working together ever since.”

Those conversations made it clear that existing campus resources weren’t meeting students’ needs. Survivors described long wait times for support, inadequate guidance through the reporting process, and a lack of trauma-informed responses from institutions.

One source of frustration for campuses and students is the frequent changes to Title IX policies at the federal level with each new administration, leading to confusion and inconsistency at the local level.SB 5355 seeks to address that by establishing a structured 180-day timeline for the Title IX process, requiring campuses to provide information about the process and available resources to students within two days of receiving a report. The initial assessment must be completed within 10 business days, and the investigation must conclude within 120 days. Sanctions are initiated within 10 business days of the final decision, unless delayed for good cause. If the process exceeds 180 days, the student will receive a written explanation. Throughout, students are kept informed of the investigation status and any hearings.

A similar bill did not pass in 2024 due to its high projected costs, particularly for larger institutions like WSU, which estimated needing around 120 additional employees to implement its provisions. To address fiscal constraints, lawmakers revised the bill by removing a requirement for on-campus nurses and instead ensuring 24/7 transportation access to hospitals with sexual-assault nurse examiners.

The bill in 2024 was projected to cost $26.6 million for 2027-29 and $55.9 million for 2029-31, with 252.2 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees required across institutions. This year’s proposal under SB 5355 has significantly lower projected costs, estimated at $23.6 million for 2029-31, with 99.9 FTE employees.

“For this bill we did three listening tours — one at Western Washington University, one at WSU, and one at UW,” Orwall said. “Students shared their stories, Title IX coordinators presented on existing resources, and community providers weighed in. While each school handled things a little differently, we heard very clear, consistent themes from students about what they needed.”

The result is a bill designed to create stronger, more immediate support systems for survivors. A key provision will ensure that students have 24/7 access to a community sexual-assault hotline — a number that will now be printed on the back of student ID cards, alongside the national 988 crisis line. The bill also enhances training requirements, a provision students strongly advocated for.

The bill mandates comprehensive training on sex-based and gender-based violence and harassment for both employees and students at universities with over 8,000 students, including WSU Pullman, UW Seattle, CWU, WWU, and large community and technical colleges. These institutions will partner with community-based organizations to deliver the training.

“Students felt very strongly that as much as possible, training should be in person,” Orwall said. “Right now, a lot of the training is online, where students just check a box. It doesn’t feel meaningful.”

Employee training will focus on how to support survivors and provide trauma-informed care. Staff who interact with survivors, along with other campus employees, will complete annual training either in-person or online.

For students, in-person training will be provided to key groups such as newly enrolled students, student athletes, resident advisors and new fraternity and sorority members. Other student groups facing unique challenges or playing key roles in promoting affirmative consent may also be included. Students will be taught about the importance of affirmative consent and will learn how to access services and file complaints. New students may receive training online or through other formats.

For Orwall, the most striking takeaway from her conversations with students during the listening tours was how many of them already understood the system — but still didn’t feel safe using it.

“The ones I talked to actually knew quite a bit about the resources in higher education,” Orwall said. “But they said if it happened to them, they would never access them. And I just thought, wow. We have to do better than that.”

Alice Zborovskiy, co-director of ASUW Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence Activists, served as a liaison between the University of Washington student body and legislative sponsors.

“We would hold meetings once every two weeks leading up to the legislative session, and then once a month for the rest of the year,” Zborovskiy said. “During these meetings, I would bring up points based on listening sessions with students and suggest changes to the bill.”

Feedback from students also helped refine the bill’s applicability across different institutions.

“Some students from UW Tacoma and UW Bothell were worried that my lens was too focused on UW Seattle, which is a much bigger institution,” Zborovskiy said. “Even though the bill only applies to institutions with more than 8,000 students, I still tried to consider their feedback and make sure they had access to resources as well.”

As part of this effort, a new website will include resources specifically for smaller campuses.

“Title IX regulations are constantly changing across administrations, making clarity from Washington state legislators crucial,” said Kiana Swearingen, a deputy Title IX coordinator for education & prevention at the University of Washington. “While we must comply with federal rules, state law can help us go beyond or complement those regulations. Partnering with legislators allows us to better prioritize our efforts.”

The university has already implemented various efforts, including the Husky Prevention & Response course, which is required for all new students and employees. However, Swearingen noted that students often need reminders and additional resources.

“What we know is that for students in a crisis, they’re not going to go back to a course that they took 18 months ago. So they need to have that information really readily available in lots of different ways,” Swearingen said. “We need our employees, faculty, staff, student advisors and student leaders to have accurate information so that when a student comes to them, they can provide accurate guidance.”

UW also recently launched an online reporting tool, which has resulted in a 44% increase in reporting.

“A lot of folks are using that, especially students. You can choose to remain anonymous, and our case managers review reports for any immediate safety concerns before following up with the person who submitted it,” Swearingen said.

Swearingen acknowledged that institutions across Washington already adhere to state-mandated Title IX regulations, but the bill would establish clear, consistent timelines and prevention education standards across all institutions.

“What Title IX prevention education is really about is ensuring that students can continue to succeed in their personal academic journey. Often, with some very specific, tailored support, students who experience sex-based violence can remain in higher education and be incredibly successful. But that requires that we have the necessary resources, such as case managers, to provide ongoing guidance.”

The bill is moving through the Senate. It passed out of the Senate Ways & Means Committee on Feb. 28, just making the fiscal committee deadline. It will need full Senate approval by March 12 to stay in play.