BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul met with students at the University at Buffalo about stopping sexual violence on campus. They say there needs to be proper protocols in place for colleges when there are instances of sexual assault.

According to data from the U.S. Department of Education, college campuses in New York reported 388 forcible sex offenses and over 5,000 offenses nationwide in 2013.

Gillibrand has strengthened her bill, The Campus Accountability and Safety Act, that would reform how colleges and universities address and report incidents of sexual assault.

“It shouldn’t be part of the price of a college education to include the risk of being sexually assaulted, it should not be part of anyone’s college experience,” said Gillibrand.

“We are not proud that there have been over 300 assaults on our campuses in the last few years that on record, but the sad part is we know there are so many more,” said Hochul.

“There’s a lot of under-reporting, and then when things are reported they are often mishandled by administration and faculty, there’s a lot of lack of knowledge there’s a lot of victim blaming that happens,” said Dean Bavisotto a sophomore at SUNY Fredonia.

The bill would also fine schools that do not comply with certain requirements in terms of preventing and responding to sexual violence.