OFTEN TIMES WHEN COVERING SEXUAL ASSAULT ON COLLEGE
CAMPUSES, IT SEEMS AS THOUGH ADMINISTRATORS DON'T TAKE
THE ACCUSATIONS SERIOUSLY ENOUGH AND DON'T DO A PROPER
INVESTIGATION, AND THE FEMALE VICTIM IS BRUSHED UNDER THE
RUG AND ISN'T TREATED APPROPRIATELY.
BUT THEN THERE'S AN EXTREME OPPOSITE EXAMPLE THAT TOOK PLACE
IN WESLEY COLLEGE, IN DELAWARE, WHERE A MALE STUDENT WAS ACCUSED
OF TAKING PART IN SECRETLY FILMING A WOMAN HAVING
CONSENSUAL SEX, AND THEN HE JUST GOT EXPELLED WITHOUT A
PROPER INVESTIGATION.
OKAY, SO BOTH CASES ARE DISASTROUS AND NOT THE RIGHT WAY
TO HANDLE ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT OR RAPE, BUT LET ME
GIVE YOU THE DETAILS OF EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.
"THE CASE INVOLVED A STUDENT EXPELLED IN APRIL 2015,
JUST BEFORE HE WOULD'VE GRADUATED, AFTER BEING
ACCUSED OF HELPING TO SET UP AND WATCH THE LIVE STREAMING OF
A FRIEND ENGAGE IN SEX WITH A FEMALE STUDENT.
THE SEX WAS CONSENSUAL; THE LIVE STREAMING WAS NOT.
THE STUDENT DIDN'T FULLY KNOW PRECISELY WHAT HE WAS ACCUSED
OF, THE BASIS FOR THE ACCUSATION OR WHAT RECOURSE MIGHT BE
AVAILABLE TO BACK UP HIS CLAIM THAT HE WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE."
SO, HE'S BROUGHT INTO AN ADMINISTRATOR'S OFFICE, AND HE'S
TOLD, YOU ARE ACCUSED OF WRONGDOING, GOING AGAINST OUR
CODE OF CONDUCT, WHATEVER, SO YOU HAVE TO COME TO THIS MEETING
AND WE'LL KIND OF DETAIL IN A LITTLE MORE FOR YOU.
THAT WAS ACTUALLY A REALLY IMPORTANT HEARING AND HE
HAD NO IDEA, SO HE WENT AND COMPLETELY UNPREPARED.
"HE WAS SUMMONED TO WHAT HE THOUGHT WAS A PRELIMINARY
EDUCATIONAL SESSION, SOMETHING INFORMAL, WITHOUT KNOWING
THAT IT WAS A FULL-BLOWN HEARING FOR WHICH HE WAS COMPLETELY
UNPREPARED.
THE SCHOOL PROCEEDED AGAINST THE STUDENT, WHO WAS UNNAMED IN
THE REPORT, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE WOMAN INVOLVES
SAID SHE THOUGHT HE WAS NOT INVOLVED IN THE INCIDENT
WHICH PRODUCED THE CHARGES AGAINST HIM."
BECAUSE THERE WERE OTHER GUYS INVOLVED, SO SHE COMES FORWARD
AND SAYS I DON'T THINK THAT GUY WAS INVOLVED, AND THE SCHOOL
PROCEEDED TO EXPEL HIM ANYWAY.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE ADMINISTRATORS?
ARE YOU NUTS?
WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE ONE EXTREME OR ANOTHER?
EITHER YOU BRUSH THE SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS UNDER
THE RUG, OR YOU IMMEDIATELY EXPEL SOMEONE WITHOUT AN
INVESTIGATION.
THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL OF, RIGHT?
THE SPECTRUM SWINGS.
IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
THE PENDULUM SWINGS, NOT THE SPECTRUM.
YOU GOT ME THINKING SPECTRUMS.
SO WE GO FROM ONE EXTREME TO ANOTHER EXTREME.
NO, PEOPLE ARE OWED TO PROCESS.
YOU KNOW WHY WE WANT TO PROCESS?
BECAUSE SOMETIMES YOU GOT THE WRONG GUY.
IN THIS CASE YOU HAVE TO HAVE A LOT MORE PROCESS BEFORE WE
KNEW IT WAS THE RIGHT GUY OR THE WRONG GUY, OR WHAT HE DID,
AND LET HIM DEFEND HIMSELF, ETC.
AND IT MIGHT TURN UP AT HIM AND A COUPLE OTHER GUYS DID,
YOU KNOW, STREAM AND WITHOUT CONSENT, WHICH IS TERRIBLE.
YOU CAN'T DO THAT, IT'S NOT CUTE, IT'S NOT FUNNY.
YOU'RE NEVER THE CASE AT RUTGERS WHEN A GUY COMMITTED
SUICIDE BECAUSE THEY HAD DONE THAT TO HIM?
SO IT'S A VERY SERIOUS CHARGE, BUT THEN YOU GOT TO TAKE IT
SERIOUSLY, AND YOU CAN ASSUME PEOPLE ARE GUILTY, YOU'VE
GOT TO GET THEM TO PROCESS.
JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE
CHARGES AGAINST A SPECIFIC PERSON DOESN'T MEAN THAT
YOU AUTOMATICALLY ASSUME THEY ARE GUILTY, RIGHT?
SO WHEN WE DO THE SEXUAL ASSAULT STORIES FROM COLLEGE
CAMPUSES, PEOPLE GET MAD AT US SOMETIMES WHEN WE GET UPSET
AT THE ADMINISTERS FOR NOT DOING A PROPER INVESTIGATION.
THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT WE AUTOMATICALLY THINK THE GUY
IS GUILTY, THAT'S JUST TO SAY, HEY YOU KNOW WHAT?
THESE ARE VERY SERIOUS ACCUSATIONS AND THERE IS
SOME POSSIBILITY THAT THEY ARE TRUE, SELECTIVE LOOK INTO
IT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE COME TO THE RIGHT CONCLUSION.
IN THIS CASE THEY TYPICALLY OPPOSITE, THEY JUST DIDN'T
INVESTIGATE IT AT ALL AND IMMEDIATELY ASSUMES GUILT,
AND THAT'S NOT OKAY.
I DON'T KNOW HOW WE CAN BE ANY MORE REASONABLE.
WE WANT YOU TO INVESTIGATE TO FIND OUT WHAT'S TRUE OR
FALSE, IT'S NOT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR.
AND I KNOW EVERYBODY ñ AND THE REASON WHY THEY DO BOTH OF THESE
EXTREMES OF THE CAMPUSES, IS BECAUSE THEY ARE PANICKED ABOUT
PR.
WE'VE GOT TO GET IT OUT OF THE WAY, WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE
TALKING ABOUT IT, SO DON'T INVESTIGATE.
WE'VE GOT TO GET IT OUT OF THE WAY, WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE
TALKING ABOUT IT, SO MAKE SURE THE INVESTIGATION IS
SUPERQUICK, YOU'RE GUILTY, MOVE FORWARD.
JUST CALMED DOWN, WE ARE NOT GOING TO JUDGE YOU IF IT'S
IN THE NEWS MORE OR TAKES LONGER, THE ONLY SITUATION
WHERE YOU CAN SCREW IT UP IS IF YOU DON'T TAKE IT
SERIOUSLY, AND YOU'RE SO OBSESSED WITH YOUR OWN PR
THAT YOU DON'T FIND OUT WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED.
EXACTLY, AND BY THE WAY, THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION AND CIVIL RIGHTS
LOOKED INTO THIS CASE BECAUSE THE STUDENT WHO WAS
EXPELLED CAME FORWARD AND FOUGHT BACK.
VIDEO BUFFERING -
THEY TALK ABOUT WHAT'S OF THE GOVERNMENT LIKE THE U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, THESE ARE IMPORTANT GOVERNMENT BODIES
THAT ARE HERE TO HELP US START IN THIS CASE, THEY HELP THE
STUDENTS AND CAME TO THE APPROPRIATE CONCLUSION OF,
THE SCHOOL IS WRONG AND THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE EXPELLED HIM.
THAT'S NOT GOVERNMENT WASTE, THAT'S WHAT OUR TAX MONEY
SHOULD GO TO.