AU President Prostrates to Feminists: Date Rape Column Was a “Mistake”

Article here. Excerpt:

'After weeks of prudent silence, American University’s president, Neil Kerwin, has finally spoken up about the date-rape controversy sparked by my recent column. Now, the last time anyone was interested in what was coming out of American University, it was because Kerwin’s predecessor was caught embezzling school funds — so perhaps, not used to all of the attention, the opportunity was too tantalizing for him to stay quiet. Trying — and failing — to assume a position of balance, Kerwin writes thus in his campus-wide spring semester memorandum:

I want to acknowledge the challenges our community faced in the wake of a provocative column in the March 31 Eagle on the topic of date rape. Our community exchanged views on this incident in a manner that reflects the value we place on civil discourse. Through dialogue, exchanges of opinion, and discussion forums, several principles were affirmed—among them, that sexual assault in all its forms and circumstances (including date rape) is a crime and a violation of AU’s Student Conduct Code; and that the First Amendment protects the right to share viewpoints, even when they may be hurtful or insensitive. Date rape victims/survivors were personally affected and many were deeply offended by the column’s words. The Eagle editors have acknowledged they could have made different editorial choices that would have avoided the harm without compromising First Amendment rights. The editors should be commended for acknowledging their mistakes, listening carefully to criticisms, and responding thoughtfully.