| Blog and Media Roundup - Monday, December 18, 2017; News Roundup | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 18 2017, 04:50 AM (63 Views) | |
| abb | Dec 18 2017, 04:50 AM Post #1 |
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http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/12/oregon_universities_must_hold.html Oregon universities must hold ground for sex assault survivors: Guest opinion Updated Dec 17, 8:30 AM; Posted Dec 17, 8:30 AM By Guest Columnist BY MELODY ROSE By now we have all read many accounts of sexual assault and the misuse of power by politicians, professional athletes and other celebrities. The stories brought forth by prominent men and women in entertainment and the media are not the only ones, of course. Sexual harassment and assault must also be addressed in places of learning. Marylhurst University President Melody Rose. Unfortunately, sexual assault is pervasive on college campuses across the country. As many as one in every five women experiences some form of sexual assault as a college undergraduate. Of all students, more than 11 percent experience sexual assault through physical force, violence or incapacitation, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. Sexual misconduct creates an environment so hostile that it puts a survivor's access to education in peril -- a violation of their civil rights. Sexual harassment remains a major issue of education equity on campuses across the country. And yet the federal government recently announced a paradoxical move to weaken administrative guidelines for the enforcement of Title IX, the landmark law banning sexual discrimination in education and providing protections for survivors. Since 1972, that law has protected individuals from being discriminated against, denied benefits of or excluded from participation in education programs and activities based on sex. Under Title IX, American schools must ensure that sexual assault survivors are provided with an educational environment where they are safe and able to learn. The federal law also requires that higher education institutions track and report campus crime statistics and safety policies. In September, the U.S. Department of Education notified college leaders of its plan to rescind earlier guidelines protecting survivors. No replacement guidelines have been issued, leaving many institutions in limbo. For example, campuses are required to have Title IX coordinators to handle investigations of Title IX complaints and ensure students are informed of their rights under this law. But with so little guidance from the government, the national organization that trains coordinators has put its program on hold because materials are "out of date." This lack of clarity could mean Title IX practices will start to diverge from university to university, or state to state. Without clear guidance, schools are forced to hedge their bets, facing potential lawsuits or possible sanctions from the federal government. Amid this widespread uncertainty, however, Oregon colleges and universities appear to be holding their ground. At Marylhurst University, our commitment to provide a safe school learning environment will not change. For 124 years, Marylhurst has been a place of equity, respect and safety. Today, we believe the investigatory process for handling allegations of sexual misconduct should be fair and balanced. Guidelines from the government must be clear, consistent and rooted in the protections of Title IX. Marylhurst was founded by women who knew the value of a safe and supportive education, and its potential to change lives for the better. As an educator, a mother and a lifelong scholar focused on the role of women in politics, I will do everything in my power to protect students from sexual harassment and assault. While Title IX and other school-based efforts are only part of a solution to a much larger problem of sexual misconduct and power, Oregonians should know that their colleges and universities are standing their ground rather than turning back the clock on preventing and addressing sexual assault. -- Melody Rose is the president of Marylhurst University. She lives in Lake Oswego. |
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| abb | Dec 18 2017, 04:55 AM Post #2 |
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http://www.record-eagle.com/opinion/columns/jack-lessenberry-msu-s-problems-have-just-begun/article_18acef29-acda-55f7-ae31-53fa551af216.html Jack Lessenberry: MSU's problems have just begun 9 hrs ago EAST LANSING, Mich. – Without any doubt, Michigan State University is mired in the biggest sex scandal in the history of college athletics. Former MSU women’s gymnastics physician Larry Nassar may have molested at least 144 women and girls under his care. He’s already pleaded guilty to federal child pornography and state sexual assault charges. He’s unlikely to ever get out of prison. But now for the really bad news: Michigan State is facing a vast number of lawsuits that seem likely to cost the university hundreds of millions – if not more. The Lansing State Journal is calling for MSU President Lou Anna Simon to resign or be fired, and when asked their opinions privately, there are few in politics or higher education in Michigan who think the 70-year-old president can long survive. It’s not yet known how devastating this will be to MSU, the state’s pioneer land grant university – though it is sure to deal a major blow to the university’s finances and reputation. But what’s also clear – though not yet well understood -- is that the scandal may play a role in next year’s race for governor. And who that hurts –or helps – is anyone’s guess. This much is not in dispute: For years, Dr. Larry Nassar inappropriately and painfully rammed his hands inside the bodies of the young women athletes under his care. Those who complained said they were told it was legitimate medical treatment. Some were told that he was an “Olympic doctor,” and not to complain. Nassar, indeed, provided some medical services to both the U.S. Olympic team and USA Gymnastics. But at all three institutions, it seemed that women who complained were not taken seriously. One MSU investigation cleared him of sexual assault in 2014, but the university failed to take safeguards thereafter. Finally, one courageous woman, Rachel Denhollander, filed a police report in August 2016, and that prompted a flood of others. Evidence, including child pornography seized from Nassar’s computer, showed him sexually abusing some very young girls. He was fired in September 2016. Two months later, he was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a child in his home. That was soon followed by child pornography charges, and a torrent of lawsuits against Michigan State by present and former athletes. The school’s response was to hunker down. Kathie Klages, the head coach of women’s gymnastics, retired after several women said she told them to keep quiet about what Nassar did to them. But otherwise, the university has taken the position that nobody knew anything about what was going on. Patrick Fitzgerald, a former federal prosecutor, was hired by Michigan State to examine the case. Last week, he gave the university a clean bill of health, saying “the evidence in this case will show that no one at MSU knew that Nassar engaged in criminal behavior,” and that “it is clear that Nassar fooled everyone around him – patients, friends, colleagues and fellow doctors at MSU.” But that essentially satisfied no one. The Lansing State Journal, a newspaper generally supportive of its hometown university, ran a front-page editorial calling for MSU President Simon, to resign or be fired, “due to MSU’s inability to keep women safe from sexual assault and harassment on campus … the time has come to hold her accountable.” MSU’s Board of Trustees issued a statement saying “we disagree vehemently. Our full confidence in President Lou Anna K. Simon has never wavered. We firmly believe she is the right leader.” But strong statements from the board will do little to protect the university from being held accountable when the bills for the lawsuits come rolling in. Five years ago, Pennsylvania State University was rocked by a scandal in which Jerry Sandusky, an assistant football coach, sexually abused young boys. Eventually, the school, also a public land-grant institution like Michigan State had to pay $93 million in damages—but when legal fees were added in, the cost came to at least $243 million. Michigan State is potentially facing something far costlier. There were 33 lawsuits against Penn State from Sandusky’s victims. So far, four times that many women have filed charges against MSU. The scandal also may have a political dimension. Gretchen Whitmer, the front-running candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor, was Ingham County prosecutor when the story of Nassar’s crimes broke at MSU – but did not file charges. When I asked her about this, she said “at that time, we were working with MSU to try to get all the evidence we could against Nassar. His crimes occurred in two counties – Ingham and Eaton, and we felt that we should therefore to work with the (Michigan) attorney general’s office and let him prosecute the case.” That may make sense – but that attorney general, Bill Schuette, is the likely Republican candidate for governor next year. Don’t be surprised if the fall campaign features Schuette attacking Whitmer for not filing charges – and she firing back that it was his responsibility and he didn’t move fast enough. Now, Whitmer is calling on Schuette to get the state police to launch an investigation into MSU’s handling of the scandal. State Sen. Margaret O’Brien (R-Portage), and one of the victims are calling on the legislature to investigate MSU. Clearly this isn’t going away soon -- and few will be satisfied with the university’s claim that it inspected itself and was blameless. Something else might give school officials pause: Graham Spanier, who was president of Penn State when their scandal happened, lost his job and was sentenced to jail in June after being convicted of child endangerment. He is appealing his sentence. And no, nobody thought that could ever happen there, either. |
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| Quasimodo | Dec 18 2017, 06:23 AM Post #3 |
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