by Denise Simon
Clash Daily Contributor
There is not one thing that this White House touches, concocts or manages that there is not some devastating collateral damage.
Do you ever wonder why there is so much trouble on college campuses and why there is so much talk about sex and more sex? Enter the “Not Alone” Task Force created in 2014. The implications of this mess stretches to an estimated 55 campuses.
The White House is pushing colleges to survey their students about sex assault and other “campus climate” issues, part of a rape-prevention campaign that will include a Web site to support survivors and track enforcement, a public service announcement from President Obama, and recommendations for how to handle reported assaults. The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights issued a finding that Tufts University in Massachusetts had violated federal anti-discrimination law in its handling of sexual assault and harassment complaints. Tufts said it was “surprised and disappointed” that the federal office found it to be out of compliance with the law known as Title IX. “Tufts University is deeply committed to the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff,” the school said.
The task force, formed in January, includes Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., Education Secretary Arne Duncan and other government officials.
The 23 page report is found here. The Task Force is headed by Valerie Jarrett but Joe Biden has been the point person. There were 27 listening sessions of which 12 were webinars and 15 were face to face.
Among the report’s recommendations:
●Colleges should learn about what’s happening on campus through systematic surveys.
“When done right, these surveys can gauge the prevalence of sexual assault on campus, test students’ attitudes and awareness about the issue, and provide schools with an invaluable tool for crafting solutions,” the report said. The task force said the administration would consider requiring colleges to conduct such surveys in 2016.
●Colleges should promote “bystander intervention,” in others words, getting witnesses to step in when misconduct arises. “It’s up to all of us to put an end to sexual assault,” Obama said in a public service announcement. “And that starts with you.” The PSA also features Biden and actors Steve Carrell, Daniel Craig, Seth Meyers, Benicio Del Toro and Dulé Hill.
●Colleges should identify trained victim advocates who can provide emergency and ongoing support. The administration also released a sample reporting and confidentiality protocol, as well as a “checklist” for an effective sexual misconduct policy.The report said the government would make enforcement data and other information about sex assault available through a Web site called NotAlone.gov. It said the site would collect in one easy-to-read place information that students have often struggled to find. The site will aim to “give students a clear explanation of their rights,” the report said, as well as “a simple description of how to file a complaint” with federal authorities. “It will help students wade through often complicated legal definitions and concepts, and point them toward people who can give them confidential advice — and those who can’t,” the report said.
Just in case you need to understand the collateral damage, there was an alleged rape case at Amherst.
The truth is a girl raped a drunk male student, who later hired a lawyer only to find the text messages proved the male student was not given any due process stemming from his 2013 expulsion. Amherst is refusing to this day…due process. Read the details here. Amherst feels fully protected by the White House Task Force and likely will get additional legal protection not only from the Eric Holder Justice Department but now the Loretta Lynch Justice Department.
Image: Screen shot from https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/
report_0.pdf
DENISE SIMON is the Senior Research/Intelligence Analyst for Foreign and Domestic Policy for Stand Up America US as well as the aide de camp for MAJOR GENERAL PAUL E. VALLELY, US ARMY (ret). Her weekly show delves into the very deep and murky waters of foreign and domestic issues. Each week her guests include high level Intel people, former Flag Officers, DEA, CIA, NSA, etc… You name it… http://majestic.waverstreamer.com:2418
