Newly proposed D.C. legislation would require colleges to put a permanent and prominent notation on the academic transcripts of students who are convicted of sexual assault or who try to withdraw from school while under investigation for sexual misconduct — a "Scarlet Letter" that would follow them to new schools and graduate programs or into the workforce.
Council member Anita Bonds’s proposal Tuesday — which comes as the nation is paying more attention to the widespread problem of college sexual assault — immediately drew praise from several colleagues for its bold approach to attacking the issue. But it also caught officials at the city’s colleges and universities off guard, proposing what is certain to be a controversial way of permanently punishing those accused of assaults.
Many advocates say that students who are accused of sexual assault already lack the kinds of protections that are standard in the U.S. judicial system and the notation would add a layer of permanent accountability for allegations that in some cases won’t be prosecuted.
The legislation could have far-reaching implications — and significant cost — for the city’s colleges and universities as they seek to prevent and respond to sexual assaults.
Read more at The Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/scarlet-letter-would-mark-transcripts-of-college-students-convicted-of-assault/2015/07/14/abec2fea-2a41-11e5-a250-42bd812efc09_story.html