Category: False Allegations

PR: High-Profile Lawsuits Reveal Problem of False Allegations of Sexual Assault, SAVE Says

Post author By saveadmin
Post date May 20, 2015

Contact: Gina Lauterio
Email: info@saveservices.org

High-Profile Lawsuits Reveal Problem of False Allegations of Sexual Assault, SAVE Says

WASHINGTON / May 20, 2015 – Recent lawsuits arising from alleged incidents of campus sexual assault are renewing long-standing concerns about the problem of false accusations. In recent weeks, three high-profile lawsuits have been filed involving students or administrators at major universities.

In late April, student Paul Nungesser charged in a lawsuit that Columbia University collaborated in a campaign of harassment against him when accuser Emma Sulkowicz launched her nationally publicized “mattress” campaign, even though the Columbia U. disciplinary committee found no wrong-doing and local police declined to pursue the case.

On May 8, former Florida State University student Jameis Winston filed a lawsuit against accuser Erica Kinsman, saying her allegations of sexual assault were “false, defamatory … and have maliciously and impermissibly interfered with Mr. Winston’s business and personal relationships.” Winston had been cleared of the assault charges in three separate investigations.

The following week, University of Virginia administrator Nicole Eramo filed an $8 million lawsuit against Rolling Stone for portraying her as indifferent to a student’s claims of sexual victimization. The lawsuit described the avant-garde magazine as a “malicious publisher who was more concerned about selling magazines to boost the economic bottom line for its faltering magazine, than they were about discovering the truth or actual facts.”

A recent Inside Higher Ed article notes that accused men are now relying on the federal Title IX law to buttress the claim that the campus arbitration process was biased against them because of their sex: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/05/01/students-accused-sexual-assault-struggle-win-gender-bias-lawsuits

“False accusations can leave life-long effects on the wrongfully accused, and harm the credibility of future rape victims as well,” notes SAVE spokesperson Sheryl Hutter. “Lawmakers need to find solutions to this epidemic of wrongful allegations which is creating a new class of victims.”

One major study found 41% of campus sexual assault claims were determined to be untrue: http://sf-criminaldefense.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/KaninFalseRapeAllegations.pdf

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

Accusing U. Affirmative Consent Campus False Allegations Sexual Assault

Feminist Says No to California’s Yes-Means-Yes Law … Here’s Why

Post author By saveadmin
Post date October 3, 2014

Roz Galtz
October 10, 2014

GUEST WORDS-As a lifelong, hardcore feminist—not to mention the mom of a teenage girl—I know I’m supposed to be overjoyed by passage of California’s SB 967, the law that enshrines a “yes-means-yes” consent standard for sexual assault on college and university campuses. (You’ve got to confirm your partner’s active consent throughout a sexual encounter, or the facts will support a sexual assault claim.

I want to be happy. It feels like forever since feminists have had a win. Still, I can’t help but dislike this bill entirely.

How did we get to a place where we uncritically celebrate a law meant to enhance justice for survivors of sexual assault, but only if they’re enrolled in a college or university?

Let’s start by acknowledging: college women are at no greater risk of sexual assault than other women their age. Given the reporting, you’re probably tempted to dismiss that assertion out of hand, but check it out. Rely on nearly any set of measures you’d like. As tricky as sexual assault stats can be, the evidence is nearly uniform on this point. Campus women aren’t at greater risk than their non-academic sisters, they’re just more aggregated in space.

So how did we get here? There are a number of explanations, but ultimately the only reason we need to rethink campus policies on sexual assault in the first place is that campuses are permitted to adjudicate them.

For far too long, residential campuses have been permitted to act as little, make-believe municipalities, complete with their own quasi-judicial processes, staffed by faculty who just love the buzz of the solemnity of getting to play judge.

When I try to envision a campus sexual assault proceeding, I flash on the case of a kid at a “living learning” program where I used to teach. After an RA busted him for trouble in the dorms, he distributed hundreds of copies of a disordered, rambling tract targeting her. He promised to get stray dogs to urinate all over her. He declared “open f-cking season on dumb tw-ts now” (a threat with a little extra oomph, coming from a burly guy who dressed in full combat fatigues).

The RA was terrified and terrorized—forced to flee the dorm that was both her housing and her job site.

This wasn’t a sexual assault, but the program’s response was telling. Was the guy arrested? Put before a disciplinary board? Subject to a mandatory psych eval? Did the RA receive some form of protection? Was she given a say in how the problem was handled?

The answer, as far as I could ever learn, was no on every count.

Administrators seemed anxious to keep things in house. The program was under scrutiny for its high costs and persistent crises. A senior faculty member had recently racked up his second reprimand for sexual harassment. The last thing anyone wanted was another black eye.

Faculty sentiment also ran decidedly against formal discipline, which may have led to expulsion given the student’s “priors.” Rationales for were varied—one prof simply maintained there was no way this kid could be a threat because: “I’ve had him in several classes, and he’s always been very quiet.”

(No, seriously, that’s what he said.) Of course, “this kid” was white. Does anyone buy for a minute that a burly black dude who dressed like a sniper could plaster his college with vows to torture and kill a white female RA and walk away with no repercussions…because he was quiet in class?

Now consider: these are the same folks assembling with all sense of seriousness to judge sexual assault claims on campuses. Don’t get me wrong, people with PhDs are probably no less likely than the rest of the population to be thoughtful about gender, violence, and race when confronting real-life conflict; but let’s not kid ourselves—they’re not liable to be more.

Administrators are, meanwhile, directly, materially tethered to the reputations of their institutions. No one who understands this should be surprised to learn that sexual assault adjudications are often delayed till the aggressor graduates or the victim drops out.

The cosplay that is campus criminal justice was simply never about valuing women’s lives in the first place. It’s always been about protecting institutions.

So what to do?

Source: http://www.citywatchla.com/8br-hidden/7677-feminist-says-no-to-california-s-yes-means-yes-law-here-s-why

Accountability Discrimination Domestic Violence False Allegations Press Release Research Uncategorized Victims

PR: Cocoon of Dishonesty: SAVE Warns Lawmakers about False Information from Domestic Violence Groups

Post author By saveadmin
Post date January 6, 2014

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Cocoon of Dishonesty: SAVE Warns Lawmakers about False Information from Domestic Violence Groups

WASHINGTON / January 6, 2014 – A leading victim-advocacy organization is advising lawmakers to be wary of claims made by domestic violence groups seeking to enact new laws. Stop Abusive and Violent Environments – SAVE — is issuing the warning after the Washington Post’s Fact Checker reported that a claim made by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder turned out to be based on a false statement made by a leading domestic violence researcher.

In 2009, Holder made the startling claim that “intimate partner homicide is the leading cause of death for African-American women ages 15 to 45.” Holder’s statement was taken word-for-word from a 2003 study published by Jacquelyn Campbell, a well-known researcher at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.

But Campbell’s statement turned out to be wrong, leading the Washington Post to say the claim could qualify for its notorious “Four Pinocchios” rating: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2013/12/18/holders-2009-claim-that-intimate-partner-homicide-is-the-leading-cause-of-death-for-african-american-women/

SAVE has identified many other examples of misrepresentations by domestic violence groups.

In the past year, SAVE reviewed the Fact Sheets of seven leading domestic violence organizations for accuracy and completeness. Based on the review, SAVE assigned a letter grade to the information sheet. In each of the 7 cases, the group’s Fact Sheet received a failing grade: http://www.saveservices.org/camp/truth/

SAVE then contacted organizational leaders to advise them about the flawed information. To date, none of the 7 groups has corrected the erroneous statements.

False information is also found in the Findings of proposed bills designed to combat domestic violence. For example, the proposed federal International Violence Against Women Act contains 16 findings, of which only 3 could be verified to be truthful. All the remaining findings were found to be one-sided, misleading, or false: http://www.saveservices.org/dvlp/policy-briefings/i-vawa-2013-findings/

“Victims of partner abuse are not served when domestic violence groups knowingly disseminate one-sided and false information,” notes SAVE spokesperson Sheryle Hutter. “Lawmakers should assure that anti-abuse programs are based on reason and science, not a biased gender ideology.”

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

False Allegations Press Release

PR: False Words Ruin Lives: SAVE Conference to Focus on Plight of Wrongly Accused

Post author By saveadmin
Post date June 6, 2013

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

False Words Ruin Lives: SAVE Conference to Focus on Plight of Wrongly AccusedWASHINGTON / June 6 – In support of False Allegations Awareness Month, Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) is holding its annual conference June 21-22 in Washington DC. Persons who have been falsely accused, advocates, lawmakers, attorneys, reporters, and others are invited to attend.

Two national surveys reveal that one in 10 persons have been falsely accused of child abuse, domestic violence or sexual assault: http://www.saveservices.org/falsely-accused/survey/. False allegations cause devastation not just to the accused, but to their families as well, SAVE notes.

One high-profile example is Atlanta Falcons linebacker Brian Banks. As a 17-year-old high school football star, his journey took a five-year detour after he was wrongly accused and convicted of rape, even with no DNA, no witnesses, and no evidence. After his release from prison, Banks’ accuser admitted on video that she had lied. Exonerated, he now campaigns for reform. https://www.facebook.com/groups/protectionformen/#!/TheBrianBanksStory?fref=ts

In another case, Gordon Smith of Delaware was falsely accused by his ex-wife 13 times, resulting in 8 arrests. The harassment by Smith’s ex-wife did not end until the GPS monitor that police made him wear proved that he had not been in the area where she cut herself and laid in the street screaming he had attacked her. http://www.avoiceformen.com/mens-rights/activism/tiffany-marie-smith-behind-bars/

“People are devastated by false allegations of abuse,” says S.A.V.E. spokesperson Sheryle Hutter. “They often lose their jobs, their homes, and access to their children. Even if they’re innocent, their reputations have been ruined.”

Information on the SAVE conference presenters and schedule can be seen here: http://www.saveservices.org/dvlp/annual-conference-2013/ Persons can register for theconference here: http://celebratingourprogress.eventbrite.com/

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to partner violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org.

Domestic Violence False Allegations Innocence Law Enforcement Media Press Release Prosecutorial Misconduct Sexual Assault Wrongful Convictions

PR: How Well is the Media Covering the Kellett Prosecutor Scandal?, SAVE Asks

Post author By saveadmin
Post date May 14, 2013

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

How Well is the Media Covering the Kellett Prosecutor Scandal?, SAVE Asks

WASHINGTON / May 14, 2013 – Three weeks ago a state ethics board issued a long-awaited report highly critical of Hancock Co. prosecutor Mary Kellett. Now a victim advocacy group is asking, Why have only two local media outlets covered the historic story?

Following a two-year investigation, the report is viewed as historic because the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar, charged with enforcing legal ethics codes, has never previously recommended the disbarment of a standing prosecutor.

On April 24, 2013 the ethics panel released a report showing assistant district attorney Mary N. Kellett ignored a court order, suppressed evidence, misled the jury, and engaged in “conduct unworthy of an attorney.” The report petitions the Maine Supreme Judicial Board to impose “appropriate disciplinary sanction” on ADA Kellett (1).

But three weeks later, only two media outlets, WABI TV and the Bangor Daily News, have provided coverage of the milestone story (2, 3).

SAVE notes the Kellett investigation has garnered extensive national media attention. Following release of the April 24 ethics report, two lengthy editorials appeared in national venues: “Discipline Case Against Prosecutor Mary Kellett Heating Up” (4) and “Filler Case Nearing Conclusion, Perhaps” (5). Over 10,000 persons have viewed accounts of the story on social media pages, as well.

SAVE invites reporters, editors, producers, and other media representatives to review the timeline of events (6), which raises the worrisome question of whether ADA Kellett charged the wrong person with the crime.

“When a Hancock County man was charged with spousal assault, media outlets provided wall-to-wall coverage,” notes SAVE spokesman Howard Goldman. “But when an overly zealous prosecutor is found guilty on multiple counts of unethical conduct, local media outlets seem to dawdle.”

SAVE filed a 9-page ethics complaint in 2011 alleging numerous instances of prosecutor misconduct (7). Over 1,400 persons have signed a petition calling for the disbarment of the prosecutor (8).

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

CAMP False Allegations Innocence Law Enforcement Press Release Prosecutorial Misconduct Wrongful Convictions

PR: SAVE Cites Excessive Delays, Bias with Hancock County Prosecutors

Post author By saveadmin
Post date April 29, 2013

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

SAVE Cites Excessive Delays, Bias with Hancock County Prosecutors

WASHINGTON / April 25, 2013 – A Hancock County prosecutor, found guilty in December on multiple counts of unethical conduct, has yet to be sanctioned for her misconduct. Assistant district attorney Mary Kellett’s unethical actions harm the credibility of real victims and represent a threat to innocent citizens, charges SAVE, a victim-advocacy group.

After a two-year investigation, a three-member panel of the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar ruled on December 5, 2012 that ADA Kellett engaged in multiple incidents of prosecutorial misconduct. The Bar Panel found Kellett did not act as a truth seeker, misled the jury, and engaged in conduct unworthy of an attorney (1).

The Panel cited Kellett’s failure to turn over “at least two key pieces of exculpatory evidence” which were critical to the defense of Vladek Filler, who had been charged with sexual assault. The seriousness of Kellett’s misconduct, the Panel emphasized, “cannot be overstated.”

More than four months later, the Maine Judicial Supreme Court has yet to decide on Kellett’s punishment. Despite the Bar Panel’s recommendation for suspension of her law license, Kellett has been allowed to continue her prosecutorial work.

Prosecutor bias has been documented in other domestic violence cases in Hancock County.

Cynthia Boucher had violated the bail conditions for a previous domestic incident against her husband Michael, an Ellsworth city councilman. He ended up in the hospital with facial lacerations.

Despite being a repeat offender, Mrs. Boucher was offered a plea deal that removed the domestic violence and bail violation charges, replacing them with a charge of simple assault. Boucher was ordered to spend only a weekend in jail and pay a $300 fine. Her victim was forced to flee the area with his daughter and resign his city council seat (2).

“This 4-month delay in sanctioning Mary Kellett is unconscionable and outrageous,” notes SAVE spokesman Howard Goldman. “Dozens of innocent men may risk similar prosecution without probable cause, while female repeat offenders are being given sweet-heart deals by Hancock County prosecutors.”

SAVE calls for DA Carletta Bassano to immediately remove Mary Kellett from her prosecutorial duties, and urges the Maine Supreme Court to act promptly on the Bar panel’s recommendation to restore integrity and credibility to Maine’s criminal justice system.

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

(1) http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=mebar_overseers_discipline&id=464815&v=article
(2) http://bangordailynews.com/2012/12/20/news/hancock/wifes-violent-outbursts-prompt-ellsworth-city-councilor-to-resign-leave-town/

Accusing U. Campus Civil Rights DED Sexual Assault Directive False Allegations Innocence Sexual Assault Wrongful Convictions

PR: ‘Totalitarian Justice:’ Criticisms of Campus Sex Assault Panels Intensify

Post author By saveadmin
Post date April 29, 2013

Contact: Mike Thompson
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: mthompson@saveservices.org

‘Totalitarian Justice:’ Criticisms of Campus Sex Assault Panels Intensify

WASHINGTON / April 29, 2013 – Three articles sharply critical of the handling of sex assault cases by campus disciplinary committees were published this past week. The critiques suggest college administrators may need to re-evaluate whether the federally mandated sex assault panels are rendering a disservice to victims, to the accused, and to the principle of justice itself, according to Stop Abusive and Violent Environments.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal on April 16, Judith Grossman describes the experience of her son, a student at a New England liberal-arts college (1). The panel’s hearing consisted of a “two-hour ordeal of unabated grilling” during which he was “expressly denied his request to be represented by counsel.” Grossman, a lawyer and self-described feminist, charges the student courts have “obliterated the presumption of innocence that is so foundational to our traditions of justice.”

The following day Harry Lewis, former Dean of Harvard College, and Jane Shaw, president of the John W. Pope Center for Higher Education, penned a critique of the University of North Carolina’s adjudication of a recent rape case (2).

After the accuser criticized the student panel for exonerating the accused, the university then proceeded to charge her with engaging in “disruptive or intimidating” behavior. Lewis and Shaw allege the student was denied her First Amendment rights, and conclude sexual assault cases are “certainly beyond the capacity” of campus disciplinary courts.

The sharpest critique appeared in the Northern Kentucky Law Review. Titled “A Hostile Environment for Student Defendants: Title IX and Sexual Assault on College Campuses,” attorney Stephen Henrick highlights the inherent conflicts of interest in college disciplinary panels (3).

One of these conflicts Henrick describes as ideological. At Stanford University, for example, a training manual advises sexual assault fact-finders that “persuasive and logical” statements by the accused should be interpreted as a sign of guilt.

“In the former Soviet Union, defendants were often denied legal counsel, freedom of speech was a legal fiction, and protestations of innocence were taken as evidence of guilt,” notes SAVE spokesperson Sheryle Hutter. “Now we are seeing a similar form of totalitarian justice, imposed by federal fiat on American universities in the name of curbing sexual assault.”

To date, over 110 editorials have criticized the Department of Education policy (4). Thirteen national organizations, including the American Association for University Professors, have called for repeal of the federal mandate (5).

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

Accusing U. Campus Civil Rights DED Sexual Assault Directive False Allegations Innocence Press Release Sexual Assault

PR: As Bogus Rape Claims Grow, SAVE Calls for Repeal of Federal Sex Assault Directive

Post author By saveadmin
Post date April 8, 2013

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

As Bogus Rape Claims Grow, SAVE Calls for Repeal of Federal Sex Assault Directive

WASHINGTON /April 4, 2013 – Exactly two years after the U.S. Department of Education (DED) issued its directive on campus sexual assault, the federal mandate continues to stoke controversy. SAVE reiterates its call for the federal agency to remove the policy, first issued on April 4, 2011, which it believes is unconstitutional.

Civil rights expert Wendy Kaminer has described the policy as a concession to an “authoritarian impulse.” To date, 110 editorials have scored the DED mandate for imposing a preponderance-of-evidence standard, stripping the accused of the presumption of innocence, and allowing students to be expelled without the benefit of legal counsel: http://www.saveservices.org/camp/ded-directive/ded-editorials/

The directive has given rise to a growing number of false allegations of sexual assault, many say.

On February 15, 2013, Morgan Triplett, claimed she was raped in broad daylight on the campus of the University of California-Santa Cruz. In truth, she had placed an abuser-wanted advertisement on Craigslist, soliciting a person to “punch, kick, and bruise her in exchange for sex.”

The Triplett case may have inspired a North Dakota woman to place a similar ad.

On March 24, Mary Kate Gullickson, a student at North Dakota State University, ran a solicitation on Craigslist seeking a man to abduct and assault her to satisfy a “rape fantasy.” Four days later Gullickson pleaded guilty to providing false information to a police officer. In addition to supervised probation, she was ordered to pay restitution to cover the cost of investigating the bogus rape claim.

“The DED sex mandate is an example of political correctness run amok,” notes SAVE spokesperson Sheryle Hutter. “Universities should be serve as a wellspring of democratic ideals, not the playground for totalitarian fantasies.”

Thirteen organizations, including the American Association of University Professors, have called for repeal of the DED directive: http://www.saveservices.org/camp/complaints/

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

Accusing U. Campus Civil Rights DED Sexual Assault Directive Domestic Violence False Allegations Innocence Press Release Sexual Assault

PR: New York Times Engages in Bias, Secret Alterations in Coverage of Campus Sex Assault Issue, SAVE Charges

Post author By saveadmin
Post date March 25, 2013

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

New York Times Engages in Bias, Secret Alterations in Coverage of Campus Sex Assault Issue, SAVE Charges

WASHINGTON / March 25, 2013 – The New York Times has repeatedly published biased and inaccurate articles regarding allegations of sexual assault on campus, according to Stop Abusive and Violent Environments. This past week the NYT secretly altered an inaccurate statement by one of its reporters. SAVE is calling for acknowledgement of the change and a public commitment to balanced coverage in future articles on the issue.

The NYT published an article on March 19 by reporter Richard Perez-Pena titled, “College Groups Connect to Fight Sexual Assault” (1). Regarding the Department of Education’s controversial sexual assault policy, the article claimed the federal mandate “did not markedly change interpretation of the law.”

But the 2011 sex mandate did substantially alter the prior DED stance, many say. The new policy lowered the standard of proof to the weakest preponderance-of-evidence standard, discouraged cross-examinations by the accused, subjected the accused to “double-jeopardy” appeals, and generally removed the presumption of innocence. These changes have been discussed and documented in over 100 editorials (2) and legal analyses (3).

So within hours of publication the Times, without acknowledgement or expression of regret, covertly changed the wording of this key conclusion to read, “The letter changed interpretation of parts of the law.” The wording and time of the change was captured by NewsDiffs, which monitors alterations to news articles (4).

Two days later, columnist KC Johnson disclosed the ruse, noting the change rendered the revised sentence “all but senseless.” Johnson’s column also questioned why reporter Perez-Pena failed to include a response from a defense attorney or civil libertarian to assure editorial balance. Johnson documented examples of significant editorial bias in other articles by the same reporter (5).

“In light of these disturbing revelations, it’s hard to imagine how Richard Perez-Pena will be able to restore his journalistic credibility,” notes SAVE spokesman Howard Goldman. “These revelations also raise questions about the New York Times’ commitment to editorial fairness in its coverage of the campus sexual assault issue.”

The American Association of University Professors and 12 other organizations have called on the Department of Education to rescind its controversial sexual assault policy (6).

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org

Accusing U. Campus Civil Rights False Allegations Innocence Press Release Sexual Assault

PR: Over 100 Editorials Now Call for Repeal of Federal Sex Mandate

Post author By saveadmin
Post date March 19, 2013

Contact: Teri Stoddard
Telephone: 301-801-0608
Email: tstoddard@saveservices.org

Over 100 Editorials Now Call for Repeal of Federal Sex Mandate

WASHINGTON / March 19, 2013 – Nearly two years after the U.S. Department of Education (DED) issued its “Dear Colleague” directive on campus sexual assault, the federal mandate continues to serve as a lightning rod for debate and criticism. To date, over 100 editorials have challenged the DED mandate: http://www.saveservices.org/camp/ded-directive/ded-editorials/

The editorials have criticized the federal mandate for removing fundamental due process protections, weakening the standard of proof to a preponderance of evidence, and encouraging false allegations. A growing number of judges, attorneys, and victim advocates have highlighted the damage caused by bogus accusations: http://www.saveservices.org/falsely-accused/sex-assault/victim-advocates-speak-out/

Last week the New York Times sponsored a debate on the directive. One columnist, Adam Goldstein of the Student Law Center, decried campus “Star Chambers” that adjudicate allegations of rape “without subpoena powers, a right to representation, or any kind of due process controls.” http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/03/12/why-should-colleges-judge-rape-accusations/rape-is-a-crime-treat-it-as-such

Thirteen organizations including the American Association of University Professors have called on the Department of Education to rescind its policy: http://www.saveservices.org/camp/complaints/

“The DED sex mandate is the latest example of the authoritarian mindset that seems to be taking hold at college campuses across the country,” notes SAVE spokesperson Chris Thompson. “Universities should be watchdogs of the principles of liberal democracy, not lapdogs to an extreme agenda that seeks to remove due process from the innocent.”

Students found guilty under the policy are typically expelled and may find it difficult to gain admission at another college. Civil rights expert Wendy Kaminer has described the policy as an ill-considered concession to an “authoritarian impulse.” http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/04/sexual-harassment-and-the-loneliness-of-the-civil-libertarian-feminist/236887/

Stop Abusive and Violent Environments is a victim-advocacy organization working for evidence-based solutions to domestic violence and sexual assault: www.saveservices.org and www.accusingu.org .