Every week there's another appalling story about the way college campuses deal with sexual misconduct. A Rolling Stone investigation of UVA shows that on some campuses there's not much of a response even if a student complains of being gang raped by seven men at a frat party. Among many astonishing details in the story: there were 38 allegations of sexual assault in a recent one year period at UVA; and no student has ever been expelled for sexual misconduct there, while many have been expelled for violating UVA's revered honor code.
On the other hand, there's this amazing story today about the other side of the sexual misconduct spectrum. A male Swarthmore student was expelled for an allegedly non-consensual, non-penetrative sex act that occurred a day before the alleged victim initiated consensual intercourse with him (she complained about the earlier act nearly two years later). Now Swarthmore is vacating that decision and giving the student a chance to have his case re-considered. (Understandably, he's moved on to another school.) Follow the link and read about the judicial process that led to the student's expulsion. Even if you're prepared to think an instance of sexual assault could conceivably precede consensual sex by just 24 hours, you have to agree that the accused student's case was horribly mishandled.
Anyone with college age sons and daughters (I have one of each) has to be completely appalled by both of these stories. And everyone else with empathy and a sense of justice.
12/1/14
"I should but I'm not going to"
This phrase intrigues me, every time I think about the fact that I'm not a vegan. Here are some interesting and relevant reflections from someone who's neither a vegan nor a vegetarian.
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