Do students get a fair hearing? An effort to change how colleges handle sexual assaults

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.

That coincides with a Senate hearing Wednesday on a closely-watched bill with bipartisan support which aims to bring more visibility and vigilance to efforts to prevent and adjudicate sexual assault on campus. That bill would require colleges to regularly survey students about sexual violence and publicly report the results, provide a confidential adviser to students who report an incident, and impose fines on schools that don’t comply with federal rules.'