Sexual Assault and Campus Procedures

In class today, we talked about the way college campuses can use administrative procedures to investigate and make findings in response to claims of sexual assault on campus.This article from the Cato Institute provides an introduction to some of these issues. To see the problems in practice, consider the story of Patrick Witt.

UNLV's procedures can be found at this link. Here is an excerpt: The Office of Student Conduct (OSC) collaborates with the UNLV community to provide an inclusive system of conflict resolution services through enforcement of the UNLV Student Conduct Code and related policies by:

• Promoting awareness of student rights and responsibilities;
• Establishing accountability for student choices;
• Creating opportunities for involvement in the process; and
• Striving to uphold the values and ethics that advance the common good.

UNLV Student Conduct Policy Individuals who are victims/survivors of interpersonal violence may report such acts to the Office of Student Conduct (OSC). A victim/survivor controls the level to which they participate in the conduct process. You can decide not to make a formal report, to make an anonymous report, or make formal charges against the accused student. OSC will always attempt to adjudicate incidents based upon the victim’s/survivor’s level of participation in the least intrusive way. Student Rights in the Conduct Process:

• To have all statements and reports remain confidential.
• To have a No Contact Letter issued against the charged student.
• To have an advocate present at all stages of the conduct process.

If you want to read more about the difficult position our college campuses have been put in, read this recent law review article.