Colleges are now free to abandon Obama-era guidelines requiring them to use the lowest standard of proof in deciding whether students are responsible for sexual assault.
The Department of Education is withdrawing the statements of policy and guidance on the Dear Colleague Letter on Sexual Violence (2011), as well as the Questions and Answers on Title IX Sexual Violence (2014).
Those on each side of the action reacted strongly to the news.
Link to main story: Dear Colleague letter retracted
In agreement
“The previous guidance chipped away at due process in several ways.
“Accused students could be found responsible for sexual misconduct if administrators were only 51 percent convinced of the charges; it discouraged allowing the accused and accuser to cross-examine each other, reasoning that this could prove traumatizing for survivors of rape; and it stipulated that accusers should have the right to appeal contrary rulings, allowing accused students to be re-tried even after they had been judged innocent.”
—Reason.com
Not in agreement
“Today’s announcement risks taking us back to to the days when sexual violence routinely compromised survivors’ access to education and schools swept sexual assault under the rug.
“DeVos and the Trump Administration have given us every indication their goal isn’t equality, but helping abusers and rapists avoid accountability.”
—Know Your IX
