Article here. Excerpt:

'Last week, the Guardian published a report on sexual abuse on UK university campuses. It detailed a number of stories involving young women telling university staff members that they had been sexually assaulted, and the staff’s allegedly poor response. The staff were accused of ‘victim blaming’ and minimising the students’ complaints. The Guardian suggests that a standardised, country-wide set of guidelines be established for universities when dealing with allegations of sexual assault.

Article here. Excerpt:

'An opponent of a new bill aimed at providing due process rights to students accused of sexual assault disparaged the thought of such constitutional rights because schools "must prioritize the needs of survivors first and foremost."

That's all well and good, but one does not know whether someone is truly a "survivor" unless his or her story can hold up to scrutiny, something deliberately absent from current campus hearings. But that doesn't seem to matter to Sarah Merriman, a spokeswoman for SAFER Campus, who told the Washington Post why she opposes the "Safe Campus Act."

Article here. Excerpt:

'A small contingent of women (probably today’s feminists) take the same position as other “minorities” that there is a large majority keeping them down. They are playing on political correctness to accomplish certain goals they define improperly as those of women in general. But the concept is false on two levels.

First, it defines women as a class, a mass, a collective. Women are individuals, just as men are. Each woman has a mind, heart, lungs, brain, the capacity to learn, act, and achieve, and the ability to choose her own goals. And, by the way, the 2010 census tells us that women are a majority, not a minority. They comprise 50.8% of the U.S. population.

Second, it defines women’s goals as universal. They aren’t. Because each woman can define herself as well as decide what to do with her life’s energies. Many women become lawyers, doctors, politicians, business owners, technicians, cab drivers, school teachers, IT specialists… (As the King of Siam says in The King and I, “et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.”) Lo and behold, some women even choose to be housewives, mothers, homemakers, and matriarchs.

Yes, women have not always received proper treatment in society at large. According to the great historical author Barbara Tuchman, many women in the Middle Ages chose the convent over a marriage in which they would be dominated, often cruelly, by a husband who thought they were chattel. Up until the early 20th century, women did not have the vote. There was a glass ceiling forty or fifty years ago. My wife once told her father she wanted to be an architect. He discouraged her. It was unlikely, he explained, that a woman could be accepted in that profession.

Article here. Excerpt:

'Gillibrand reinforced traditional gender roles by consistently referring to rape accusers as “she,” and even made an uncredited reference to Columbia rape accuser, activist and porn star Emma Sulkowicz, whom Gillibrand invited to the State of the Union address in January.
...
While AAU supports the “goal” of CASA, it doesn’t want the confidential adviser to have any investigative or reporting role and it sees “potential conflict” with Title IX reporting requirements, Flounlacker said. Collins, who chaired most of the hearing in Alexander’s absence, agreed that “we’re putting schools between a rock and a hard place” on the adviser’s role in CASA.

Article here. Excerpt:

'The senate hearings are based around faulty statistics, like the frequently debunked “one in five women on campus are sexually assaulted” myth, and overhyped false accusations like the fabricated UVa rape case. In the Caleb Warner case at the University of North Dakota, the Duke Lacrosse case, and more all over the nation, false accusations bring life-altering consequences to the accused. In the Warner case, the University even upheld his expulsion after police brought charges of filing a false report against the accuser.

In this environment of fraudulent anecdotes and phony statistics, the senate on Wednesday opened discussion on a bill ostensibly designed to curb campus sexual assault, but which is notably devoid of due process rights for the accused. In fact, the bill refers to accusers as “victims,” despite ample evidence that they are often victimizers.

Article here. Excerpt:

'While flipping through the WestJet TV lineup on a recent cross-country flight, I reluctantly settled for a popular daytime talk-show (my other options included Days of Our Lives and re-runs of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo), which saw a panel of 4 diversely opinionated women duking it out to see who could make their co-host seem like the bigger idiot. Sigh.

Interestingly, however, the subject they were debating that day happened to be male circumcision, a surprising topic for daytime TV.

Two of the female hosts in particular were taking the stage with polarizing views on the matter. One host saw the medical procedure as a hygienic practice that lowered the risk of disease while the other saw it as an archaic and highly irrelevant surgery.

In the end, the audience was left undecided. I, however, was left with an ignited curiosity about a medical procedure that I had never really taken time to question.

Story here. Excerpt:

'SCOTTISH Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie has been urged to introduce women-only shortlists for parliamentary candidates after his only female MSP was ousted from the top of one of his party’s regional lists by a male rival.

The move will mean Alison McInnes, the current LibDem MSP for North East Scotland, is unlikely to be re-elected to Holyrood and her seat could be taken by the former MSP Mike Rumbles, who secured top ranking.

McInnes is currently the only female LibDem parliamentarian in Holyrood and Westminster.

Apart from her, the party has four male MSPs and eight male MPs, including Alistair Carmichael. Its only MEP is a woman – Catherine Bearder.

Only one of the party’s eight regional lists for next year’s

Scottish Parliament elections is headed by a woman.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Three members of a University of Virginia fraternity caught up in a firestorm of criticism over a since-retracted Rolling Stone article alleging a sexual assault have filed a lawsuit against the publication and its author.

The three UVA graduates say in the complaint filed in federal court Wednesday that they were humiliated and mocked after they were presumed to be participants in an alleged sexual assault that was the centerpiece of the story.

They were not identified by the since-discredited article, but information in the story led to them being identified online as participants in the alleged attack, the lawsuit claims.

The three men suffered "vicious and hurtful attacks" in the aftermath of the article, the lawsuit says. Online, "plaintiffs' names will forever be associated with the alleged gang rape," the lawsuit claims.'

Also see this story.

Article here. Excerpt:

'The Senate’s Campus Accountability and Safety Act (CASA), which concerns itself mostly with students who allege they were sexually assaulted, has new competition from the House – a bill that would give greater protections to accused students in campus disciplinary proceedings.

In other words, it would completely reverse how schools increasingly run their rape investigations.

The Safe Campus Act was introduced by three Republicans – Reps. Matt Salmon of Arizona and Pete Sessions and Kay Granger of Texas.
...
The bill would also preclude punitive interim measures if an accuser doesn’t report the accusation to law enforcement, and allow both parties to hire lawyers “to represent them throughout the process,” as FIRE notes. Crucially, it would allow those attorneys to “ask questions in the proceeding, file relevant papers, examine evidence, and examine witnesses.”
...
The bill also prevents officials from playing “multiples roles” in the process, such as a “victim counselor” also serving as an investigator; give all parties access to “material evidence” at least a week before a proceeding starts; and importantly, repeal the authority of the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to order colleges which evidence standard to use (currently the “more-likely-than-not” preponderance standard).

Only North Carolina and North Dakota have statewide protections for accused students along the lines of House bill.

A spokeswoman for SAFER Campus, an advocacy group, told The Washington Post that accused students should essentially have no rights until the campus disciplinary system works perfectly for accusers:

Article here. Excerpt:

'A trio of House Republicans have introduced a new bill that seeks to guarantee due process when college students are accused of sexual assault, while also increasing the involvement of law enforcement in such cases.

The Safe Campus Act's three sponsors are Reps. Matt Salmon of Arizona along with Pete Sessions and Kay Granger, both of Texas. All three are Republicans. The bill’s release coincides with renewed interest in the U.S. Senate over another bill intended to help prevent campus assaults. (RELATED: Senate Plans One-Sided Sexual Assault Panel)

Article here. Excerpt:

'There was little discussion of due process rights in campus adjudications during a Wednesday hearing on campus sexual assault.

As expected, the one-sided hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee focused on how to make reporting easier for sexual assault accusers — which is very important — but failed to address the very real problem of false accusations. Typical statements from senators and other panelists consisted of long discussions about providing help for accusers, with a passing statement about ensuring a fair process tacked on at the end.

Most of the senators present — including Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, Claire McCaskill and Patty Murray – continually referred to accusers as "victims" or "survivors" and the accused as "accused," "alleged perpetrator" or "rapist." This, like the language of the Campus Accountability and Safety Act, imposes a clear bias.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'UC President Janet Napolitano told lawmakers that she believes the state's 10 UC campuses are already in voluntary compliance with the key elements that senators have included in the bill. For example, Napolitano says the UC system has established an office at each campus that victims can turn to for help.

Senators asked Napolitano how best to foster a culture of sexual assault prevention.

"It begins with creating that culture from the day they begin on campus and then consistency and persistency throughout the college experience," Napolitano said.'

---

From 2012: Big Sis Janet Napolitano 'promoted woman with whom she had a 'long relationship' while her female staff tormented male colleagues with 'sexually charged games:

Article here. Excerpt:

'The SAFE CAMPUS Act, sponsored by Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ), Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), introduces meaningful and much needed reforms to the current system of investigating and adjudicating sexual assault allegations on our nation's college campuses.

"Fraternity and sorority members have been leaders in seeking solutions to the most important issues facing students. Campus safety and preserving a student's constitutional rights on campus are among our top priorities," said FSPAC's Executive Director Kevin O'Neill. "The SAFE CAMPUS Act includes numerous provisions that emphasize improvements in campus safety and engage law enforcement to bring more perpetrators of sexual violence to justice. It enhances the rights of all students in the campus adjudication system and reaffirms the importance of a student's right to be involved with a single-sex campus organization."

Article here. Excerpt:

'As heated debate continues over how to handle allegations of sexual assault on college campuses, another bill is about to be thrown into the mix – this one most notable for its efforts to ensure students are able to get a fair hearing on campus, and give law enforcement a more prominent role in such cases.

It also could trigger concern from victims’ advocates who have long pushed to make it easier for students to report violence, and who point to evidence that students may be hesitant to ask for help if they feel a complaint would automatically trigger a criminal investigation or other harsh sanction.

The House bill, sponsored by Republican Reps. Matt Salmon of Arizona and Pete Sessions and Kay Granger of Texas, is expected to drop Wednesday morning.

Article here. Excerpt:

'Kirsten Gillibrand and Patty Murray were among a group of senators speaking before a committee Wednesday on ways to deal with sexual assaults on university campuses.

Sen. Murray, D-Wash, said the issue impacts a huge number of college students.

"The harsh reality is that one out of five women is sexually assaulted in college, and men as well," she said.

As far as the perpetrators, Sen. Gillibrand, D-N.Y., argued that colleges have allowed many to stay on campus.

"They'll routinely kick you out if you cheat on a test, but the statistics for students who have violated other students, who have sexually assaulted or raped them and found responsible show that only one-third are actually expelled for the crime," Gillibrand said.'