The Department of Education on Friday announced new proposed rules that would place limits on college investigations into sexual harassment and assault allegations made by students.
The new plan would only allow universities to investigate claims that occurred on campus or other property owned by the school, not off-campus locations. It would also require the accuser to report the incident to a specific officials within the university.
“We can, and must, condemn sexual violence and punish those who perpetrate it while ensuring a fair grievance process,” Education Secretary Betsy DeVos wrote in a statement issued Friday. “Those are not mutually exclusive ideas. They are the very essence of how Americans understand justice to function.”
She said the proposed changes are an effort to protect innocent people who are accused of sexual misconduct. It would undo the enhancements the Obama administration made to the Title IX policy.
Under the proposal, a woman or man making the accusations would be able to cross-examine his or her accuser in a campus hearing on the incident.
DeVos has condemned all sexual misconduct as “reprehensible, digusting, and unacceptable.” However, in an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes” this year, she added that “one falsely accused individual is one too many.”
One in 4 college senior women report unwanted or nonconsensual sexual contact during college, according to a recent government survey.
The department has posted the new rules online. The rules will go through a 60-day public comment period then Education officials will decide whether to finalize the plan, adjust it, or delay it.
