Questions on Money, Influence and Competence

March 16, 2015
  • Industry News

Students at Brown University are raising questions about an investigation and hearings involving a reported drugging and sexual assault on campus last fall.

Neither of the accused students -- one man accused of the drugging, and a different man accused of assault -- was found guilty.

Supporters of the two women involved called the investigation "haphazard" and said the university's hearing process was deeply flawed.

The student accused of drugging the women says he's innocent. But he, too, said the process was unfair for all involved and that the university's investigation was "incompetent."

The investigation has dominated campus discussion in the last several weeks. On Wednesday, more than 400 students marched silently through campus as a show of support to the women.

Taped to their mouths were dollar bills bearing a red IX -- for Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 -- as a symbol of the way money and privilege make it difficult for sexual assault victims to seek justice. Many students have questioned whether the family ties of the student accused of drugging the women influenced the investigation. He's the son of a prominent alumnus and donor.

At a time when colleges are under a spotlight for how they handle sexual assault, the students' complaints demonstrate the difficulty colleges face when playing both investigator and judge.

Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/03/16/brown-u-sexual-assault-investigation-draws-criticism-accused-and-accusers