Education Department Changes Burden of Proof for colleges

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http://www.openmarket.org/2011/04/11/education-department-changes-burden-of-proof-in-sexual-harassment-cases-under-title-ix/

Frankly I'm a bit disturbed by this, I was hoping to involve myself in on campus activities(at least a little bit anyways) but I think I will avoid campus as much as I can if this goes unchallenged.

Also the title may seem a bit misleading as it's only sexual harassment claims being given a lower standard of proof but the title has a character limit and I don't feel like creating a better title.

So, it's all the more so if a woman said it happened, you're guilty?

Yes.

It sounds to me like schools are now trying to "cover their butts" across-the-board in regard to allegation/s from any or all students.

What is new?

It was years ago [details need not concern us] I was told by the dean, "if a person feels she - possibly he/she? - has been harassed - then you harassed her and are culpable." Proof? We don't need no stinking proof so long there is an allegation.

I once had the same thing said to me in a situation where I had only said "I love you, Barb!" to a supervisor at a place where I worked ... and she quite-well knew my words meant nothing any more, less or different than her occasionally calling any one of us subordinates "Girlfriend". But at that particular time, I had been challenging the new "requirement" that everybody use the new hand-scan timeclock ...

... and in the end, they gave me a pass on both matters!

wtf is this? Mexico? Guilty until proven innocent? Guilty if there is ~51% chance that it could have happened? This is going to ruin a lot of innocent, shy/awkward people's lives

Whatever you do do NOT stare in anyone's direction avoiding eye contact.

LOL I just thought of the irony of 'avoiding eye contact' on a forum for Aspergians

Do you recall (if you ever saw) all the hubb-bubb here on WP a while back about "Guilty as perceived"?

Anytime anyone is in any way feeling uncomfortable, misunderstood or "offended" or whatever, even the real-world community now also seems to "feel" some kind of harm has been done!

Well, not quite ANYONE.

YOU try lodging a complaint because you feel - as I have often felt - that you have been slighted harassed abuse offended profiled stereotyped cheated mistreated - Call for the Everly Brothers - jilted misled discriminated against OR not had your special needs addressed.

You first have to belong to one of the scheduled categories.

Interesting this gets news and controversy, versus virtual media and societal silence for years regarding the preceding rape epidemic on college campuses, and college institutions adopting a modus operandi of "eh" in response.

It is a little sexist to say that the system changed to "Woman says you did it". It appears it will work both ways, so if a male student makes the claim it should work as well. It should also work when the student and Professor have the same sex.

I don't think that avoiding eye contact and extra curricular work is going to help you. If some one out there wants you down, the lack of presumption of innocence will allow him to take you down. So, try continuing your life as usual not pissing people off and try to get this silly idea fixed.

"silly idea"? Sounds like hate speech to me.

What rape epidemic? Please provide sources. I would prefer studies for this one not news articles.