A new California state law, brought on by the death of Katie Meyer and her family’s Katie’s Save initiative, will provide students with an advisor of their choosing during disciplinary proceedings at California colleges and universities.
On Saturday, Governor Gavin Newsom signed the legislation, introduced earlier this year, into law. Schools must have the policy in place to receive state funds for student financial assistance. The legislation, AB 1575, was led by assembly member Jacqui Irwin, a former college athlete, and has been named Katie Meyer’s Law after the former Stanford University goalkeeper.
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Only months before her pending graduation from Stanford, Meyer was found dead in her dorm room in March 2022. She died by suicide.
Meyer’s parents, Gina and Steve, found out after her death that Stanford had notified Meyer that she would face a disciplinary hearing concerning an incident that took place in August 2021. Her degree was to be put on hold, and she could have also potentially been removed as a student-athlete. Meyer wrote to Stanford’s Office of Community Standards, providing a statement that she feared the incident could “destroy” her future. Meyer’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Nov. 23, 2022, according to USA Today. A trial date has yet to be set.
Meyer received the email notification on the final day that disciplinary charges could be brought against her, Feb. 28, 2022. She had been the only one notified, and she had not told anyone, according to court documents.
The Meyers started Katie’s Save, focused not just on mental health resources for other student-athletes, but also “to implement a university policy designed to offer students an option to enable and require the university/college to send a notification to a Designated Advocate regarding instances when the student is involved in a situation that could evolve into challenging circumstances where they may need guidance and support.”
The Meyer’s family has turned the tragedy of their daughter’s passing into a law that will provide protections for other college students. @KatiesSave #CALeg pic.twitter.com/LJ3J2CsCZ1
— ASM Jacqui Irwin (@ASM_Irwin) September 29, 2024
As of Sep. 28, 2024, that is now law in California. The Meyers hope it will not be the only state to pick up the mantle and provide protections for students.
Meyer’s legacy has lived on through her Stanford teammates as well. Naomi Girma and Sophia Smith dedicated their 2023 World Cup with the USWNT to her memory. Girma, in particular, has focused heavily on mental health in her initiatives off the field.
(Photo: Jamie Schwaberow / Getty Images)
