Why colleges play a role in handling sexual assault cases

Public scrutiny of how colleges handle sexual assault cases is appropriate. Institutions should be held accountable for safeguarding the rights of complainants and respondents. That these cases are often extremely complicated and challenging does not in any way diminish the need for fair policies. It’s often misunderstood why colleges are involved in adjudicating sexual assault cases in the first place. Colleges are legally and morally obligated to address such cases. These legal obligations include federal and state statutes and court decisions going back the better part of a century.