Last Wednesday, a group of college presidents and those who handle campus sexual assault accusations met in Washington, D.C., for a briefing.
The first of the two panels put on by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities included four college presidents. The second panel included Title IX coordinators and others who work with accusers and the accused.
The second panel, which featured Jeanne Lord and Jen Luettel Schweer of Georgetown University, Candi Smiley of Howard University, Fatima Taylor of the University of Maryland, and Tammi Slovinsky of Virginia Commonwealth University, wasn’t completely hopeless as far as due process rights are concerned. Still, the bad of the panel far outweighed the good.
The context of the briefing
The meeting was held to discuss the implementation of 2011 guidance from the Obama administration that required colleges to adjudicate sexual assault accusations. The new guidance has led to a slew of hiring, as colleges need people to investigate, punish and provide resources for accusers.
In the years following 2011, students accused of sexual assault have seen their due process rights eviscerated and their presumption of innocence ignored. Meanwhile, the definition of sexual assault has been expanded to include pretty much anything.