Dive Brief:
- Many argue higher education institutions are ill-equipped to handle adjudication of sexual assault allegations on their campuses when the victim and the accused are both students.
- Colleges and universities nationwide are spending what some call unsustainable amounts of money addressing sexual assault whether it be hiring new staff, re-training, or developing preventative measures, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports.
- Some schools are considering a regional tribunal to handle rape allegations but, across the industry, many are waiting to see if federal legislation or court rulings help clarify a school’s role, according to the article.
Dive Insight:
The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights stepped up the pressure on colleges and universities responding to sexual assault in 2011, when it reaffirmed the idea that Title IX holds schools accountable for hostile campus environments caused by rape and the fear of it. Since then the Office of Civil Rights has been inundated with complaints and campuses have collectively spent millions updating their policies. The OCR has requested additional funding to handle the deluge but plenty of lawmakers see the office as creating its own mess with questionably sound guidance to higher education institutions in 2011.
The fact that sexual assault plagues college campuses is widely agreed upon. How to handle it is up for debate.