Bias clouds campus assault solutions

Article here. Excerpt:

'Of course a woman’s intoxication is not license for assault. But the very serious crimes of rape and sexual assault should not be lumped together with what may be regrets about doing something stupid under the influence, a common experience for young people of both sexes.

At many schools, training for administrators, faculty, and students involved in the handling of sexual assault complaints often amounts to indoctrination in the politically correct version of gender bias. In 2011, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education publicized Stanford University’s reading materials for student jurors, which warned that acting “logical and persuasive” in one’s defense was typical of an abuser and that one should be “very, very cautious” in accepting a man’s claim of innocence since “the great majority of allegations” are truthful.

In recent years, the Obama administration has pressured colleges to take a tougher stance on alleged sexual offenses — notably, to lower the standard of proof for sexual assault complaints from “clear and convincing evidence” to a “preponderance of the evidence” (which means the believable evidence tips slightly in the claimant’s favor). The government’s new campaign is likely to exacerbate the biases against the accused.

The prevalence of reckless, alcohol-fueled sex on many college campuses is certainly cause for concern. But the answer is to promote responsible behavior for both sexes — not label all such encounters as sexual assault, placing the entire burden on men while encouraging women to see themselves as victims.'