All universities in Pennsylvania are now legally required to provide sexual assault education at orientation to all incoming freshman students because of a new law proposed by a local representative.

Proposed by Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Centre, House Bill 101 requires universities to educate first-year students about sexual assualt.

The bill was passed in the state legislature on Nov. 17, 2010, said Tor Michaels, Conklin’s chief of staff.

Michaels said Conklin was impressed by Penn State — which was the first school in the state to run a sexual assault education program — and was motivated to implement the law in all schools in the state.

Education about sexual assault is only applied to first-year students because they are the most vulnerable, Michaels said.

Peggy Lorah, director of the Center for Women Students, said the college takes extra attention to incoming students because of the “red zone” — the first few weeks of college — which carries the highest risk of sexual assault.

“It is important for freshmen to have information before coming to campus to know about the danger of sexual assault,” Lorah said.

Some students said they support the new regulations.

“Because we are such a large institution it’s important to use all of our resources to impact not only our university but also other universities in the state. I am proud that I can be part of an institution that is using the resources for positive change,” Christina Bohn (freshman-human development and family studies) said.

In most cases, victims know their assailants, and they do not realize they were assaulted, Lorah said. Sexual assault cases are consistently under-reported by students, she said.

“I think a lot of people don’t realize exactly what sexual assault is and even if they feel they have been assaulted, they are embarrassed to report it,” Stephanie Kerr (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) said.

The purpose of educating students is to make sure they know about available support and services, Lorah said.

By applying the law to all colleges in the state, the legislation acknowledges the importance of making students aware of sexual assault, she said.

Both men and women are vulnerable to become victims of sexual assault, she said — because alcohol often has a connection to sexual assault, Lorah said.

“What that means is that because alcohol is often involved in sexual assault that students are aware of that before they decide to drink,” she said.