Critics questioning role of universities in Title IX case

Article here. Excerpt:

'College and university disciplinary boards used to deal with accusations of academic fraud or plagiarism. In the last two decades, administrations have been forced to handle a far more difficult and complex problem: sexual assault.

Universities today find themselves in a bind — administrators may or may not want to be involved in sexual assault adjudication, but federal law requires them to provide victims with a disciplinary reporting process. That way, victims can be protected from alleged perpetrators even if the case isn’t prosecuted in a criminal court.

But a growing chorus of critics is asking whether universities actually have the means to deal fairly with sexual assault — and dozens of students accused of sexual assault on campus are now alleging that their due process rights were violated.

“Disciplinary panels were set up for things like cheating, plagiarism and other things for which there is no central process outside of the school,” said Andrew Miltenberg, an attorney who has earned a reputation for representing students accused of sexual assault or misconduct.

“Schools shouldn’t be dealing with this issue just like they shouldn’t be dealing with a shooting,” he added.'