After False Report, Cornell Defends New Rules for Sexual Assaults

Article here. Excerpt:

'A recent false report of attempted rape should not stoke fears about Cornell’s new policy for handling sexual assault accusations, several high-ranking administrators have said in defense of their controversial decision to lower the burden of proof in these proceedings.

In Spring 2012, over the dire warnings and desperate pleas of many law professors and local attorneys, the University pushed through a series of changes to its sexual assault policy.

The new system, which is motivated in part by a contested directive from the U.S. Department of Education but also by a desire to reduce the number of campus rape cases, makes it far easier for students to be found guilty of sexual assault.
...
Under the new sexual assault system, accused students’ attorneys cannot cross-examine the accusing party, defendants must only be found guilty on a “preponderance” — or 51 percent — of the evidence to face punishment, and students can no longer appeal decisions to a hearing board that includes students. The previous, higher standard for these cases was “clear and convincing evidence.”

“False reports ... serve as a reminder of the dangers of Cornell’s policy, and of the eternal need for procedural protections, no matter how well-intentioned the authorities are,” Prof. Kevin Clermont, law, said. “The University should provide protection to the accused as a matter of fairness.”'