Chicago attorney reacts to recent wave sexual assault allegations on college campuses

Sexual assault awareness and bystander intervention programs at universities are often met with groans and eye rolls from students.

The mandatory annual trainings are required by the state, per the Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education Act, signed in 2015 and amended in 2025. It requires universities to develop a "comprehensive policy" concerning sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.

"I think their goal is to get people comfortable with being uncomfortable," said Senior Attorney at Romanucci & Blandin Maura White. "But I think the big question that I have, and I'm sure others have right now, is: Are these programs actually doing enough?"

White has years of experience as a federal prosecutor of sex crimes. She said amid this wave of sexual assault allegations on college campuses, including two just this month at the University of Chicago, we need to change the way we address allegations of sexual assault.

"I think we need to turn our attention to help solve the problem rather than to react to these types of cases when they happen," she said.

Read more and listen to Maura's full interview on WBBM Newsradio here.