Month: April 2015

Contact: Gina Lauterio

Email: info@saveservices.org

New UVA Sex Policy Is ‘Illogical and Hysterical,’ Will Do Nothing to Stop Rape, SAVE Charges

WASHINGTON / April 27, 2015 – The University of Virginia (UVA) has adopted a new Interim Policy on sexual misconduct that dramatically expands the definition of sexual misconduct to include any type of sexual contact. The policy also imposes an “affirmative consent” requirement, warning that “Relying solely on non-verbal communication before or during sexual activity… may result in a violation of this Policy.” SAVE believes the policy will do nothing to deter forcible rape, and is likely to serve to trivialize the problem.

According to the new policy, any intentional touching of intimate body areas, whether clothed or unclothed, must be preceded by specific words or actions indicating consent. Under this definition, a simple hug or close dancing could be construed as sexual assault punishable by expulsion, SAVE notes.

Constitutional scholar Hans Bader has criticized the new UVA policy as “an outrageous violation of students’ privacy rights.” http://libertyunyielding.com/2015/04/09/hugs-are-now-sexual-assault-at-the-university-of-virginia/

SAVE highlights the fact that the new policy likely would not have helped to prevent the recent rape of Hannah Graham. The former UVA student was abducted on September 13, 2014. One month later, human remains believed to have come from her body were found at an rural location.

The murder suspect, Jesse Matthew, had been accused of sexual assault at two separate Virginia colleges he had attended as a student. But a criminal case was not brought against the man in either incident.

“The new UVA policy represents a response to the so-called campus ‘rape-culture’ that is illogical and hysterical,” notes SAVE spokesperson Sheryl Hutter. “University of Virginia administrators should be working to involve local law enforcement in these cases, not mandating an illusory affirmative consent standard,.”

Relevant excerpts of the UVA policy can be seen in the attachment to this press release. The entire policy can be viewed here: http://vpsa.virginia.edu/sites/vpsa.virginia.edu/files/Title%20IX%20VAWA%20Umbrella%20Policy.pdf

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is working to promote effective solutions to campus sexual assault: http://www.saveservices.org/

Contact: Gina Lauterio
Email: info@saveservices.org

Lawmakers Need to Restore Presumption of Innocence in Campus Sex Cases to Avoid ‘Frightening Consequences’

WASHINGTON / April 9, 2015 – Following release of a report detailing the many mistakes of a Rolling Stone article that had alleged a gang-rape at a University of Virginia fraternity, SAVE is now calling on legislators and campus administrators to engage in reasoned debate on the campus sexual assault issue to restore due process and the presumption of innocence.

Commentators have noted how Rolling Stone reporter Sabrina Erdley approached the topic with a pre-conceived narrative. By her own admission, Erdley set out to locate a case that would reveal “what it’s like to be on campus now…where not only is rape so prevalent but also that there’s this pervasive culture of sexual harassment/rape culture.”

These pre-conceptions may have lulled Erdley into accepting the uncorroborated claims of self-identified rape victim “Jackie” as truthful. Erdley envisioned her article would pressure campus administrators to institute policies to curb campus rape that serve to reduce due process protections.

Commentators on all points of the political spectrum have voiced concerns about the loss of the presumption of innocence for students accused of sexual assault: http://www.saveservices.org/sexual-assault/editorials/2015-2/

In response to a call for the intentional use of false convictions to curb campus sexual assault, for example, liberal editorialist Jonathan Chait charged, “This is a conception of justice totally removed from the liberal tradition.”

And conservative editorialist Robert Tracinski recently denounced how UVA president Theresa Sullivan “acted with a presumption of guilt against her own university and its students.”

“The presumption of innocence has long been a bulwark of American law,” notes SAVE spokeswoman Sheryle Hutter. “Any infringement on the presumption marks a worrisome trend to authoritarianism in our society with frightening consequences.”

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is working to promote effective solutions to campus sexual assault: http://www.saveservices.org/