State's colleges struggle to deal with issue of rape

Article here. Excerpt:

'Legislators and universities in New Jersey are changing the way rapes are dealt with on campus following two explosive incidents at local colleges and several high-profile cases that have brought national attention to the epidemic of sexual assault among students.

The allegations of rape at William Paterson University in Wayne and Ramapo College in Mahwah late last year came on the heels of incidents in New York, Florida and Virginia, scandals that prompted the federal government to push schools to be more aggressive in the handling of sexual assault cases.

But universities have struggled to investigate claims that are often difficult to prove — consent sometimes comes down to a matter of perspective, especially in young adults, and in most incidents there are no witnesses and memory is impaired by trauma, alcohol or drug use.

The task is all the more complicated by the need to preserve the rights of the accused. And increasingly, more young men are suing their schools — three have filed notice of intent to sue William Paterson — saying their lives have forever been altered by accusations that are unfounded and cases that were mishandled.
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Lawmakers in New Jersey and other states are trying to legislate the very nature of consent and take rape investigations out of the hands of campus police, putting outside law enforcement in charge. Students are marching at more than 100 universities in solidarity with rape victims. Administrators at Ramapo and other schools are banning boozy gatherings in the hopes of preventing the kind of activities that lead to trouble. Ten states are even considering permitting students to carry guns to prevent rape.'