It's a Crime: Sexual Assault on Campus

New Hampshire Union Leader
July 20, 2017

http://www.unionleader.com/editorial/Its-a-crime-Sexual-assault-on-campus-07202017

Sexual misconduct on the campuses of two of the nation’s most prestigious prep schools has prompted a closer look at how these New Hampshire institutions protect their students.

Phillips Exeter Academy kept quiet about a professor who had sexual relationships with his students for decades, quietly shuffling him into retirement. St. Paul’s School in Concord knew about decades of sexual misconduct by students and faculty.

When an alleged victim of sexual assault comes forward to school officials, making these allegations public must be a difficult decision. The school would want to shield the victim, particularly if he or she is a minor, from a public ordeal. Yet the school also has an inherent conflict of interest.

Too often, schools have chosen to keep parents and the public in the dark about crimes happening on campus.

Meanwhile, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has promised to revisit Obama administration guidance urging colleges to crack down on sexual assault. But schools are not courts. Rape is a crime, not an honor code violation. Colleges are ill-equipped to provide justice for victims or due process to the accused.

It is admittedly difficult to protect victims, the rights of the accused, and the public’s right to know. But that’s why we have a criminal justice system. We must stop pretending that prep school and college campuses operate outside that system.