Expelled UMass Student Sues School for ‘Pre-Judgment’ In Assault Case
One more reason that college men should be frightened to death of ever having sex: even if no one accuses you of sexual assault, your university can still expel you for sexual assault.
Greg Piper at The College Fix has the story:
BREAKING: Expelled UMass Student Sues School for ‘Pre-Judgment’ In Assault Case
The University of Massachusetts-Amherst violated Title IX by rushing to judgment against a male student accused of sexual assault, denying him due process because of his gender and expelling him, according to a lawsuit filed against the school, The Boston Globe reports:
During a night of drinking, playing card games, and dancing with friends, the two students became friendly and flirted, and she later invited him to her room to have sex, the lawsuit said. They had consensual sex and the female student at no point showed signs of intoxication, according to the suit.
The next day, the female student could not remember what had happened, according to the lawsuit. At her roommate’s urging, the female student went to the campus health center for an evaluation. The following day, she filed a complaint with the dean of students’ office.
In her written complaint, she never called what happened harassment, assault, or rape, according to the lawsuit.
The male student’s punishment was swift, he alleges, forced to move off campus and stay away except to attend classes:
Two months later, the university held a disciplinary hearing, the lawsuit said. But the male student had not been given copies of case documents beforehand, key pieces of evidence were not presented during the hearing, the male student was repeatedly interrupted, and questions he had were ignored, the suit said.
Two days later, the student was told that he had been found “responsible” for three violations: “sexual harassment, sexual misconduct and community living standards,” and he would be expelled.
BREAKING: Expelled UMass Student Sues School for ‘Pre-Judgment’ In Assault Case (The College Fix)
Comments
This is precisely why due process should be legally mandated for these actions. In fact, colleges and universities should have no role in this, assaults should be reported to, and handled by, police and prosecutors, where there are well established legal protections. Make no mistake, sexual assault and rape are very serious and allegations should be taken seriously, investigated carefully, and violators punished. But, false accusations or misguided ones are known to happen. The presumption of innocence and full due process should apply to the accused. But colleges and universities aren’t trained to handle these and are subject to too many campus political pressures. The law should run the same way on campus and off. This UMass student didn’t get those protections.