FACE HOLDS GATHERING FOR STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES

On March 5th, 2016, in Washington, D.C., FACE convened its third Meet and Greet event.

The formal presentations, FACE family sharing sessions, and the Friends of FACE (FOF) seminar provided participants opportunities to build relationships through education and shared experiences. “The Meet and Greet provided exposure to other cases, parents, legal experts, and the opportunity to hear from other students who have had this experience,” said one parent, “it means so much to know we are not alone.”
The Meet and Greet hosted presenters nationally recognized for their expertise in the field, including Stuart Taylor, Jr., Cecil Byrd, Justin Dillon, Kimberly Lau, Eric Rosenberg, and FACE’s own Joseph Roberts. Speakers covered topics including mental health issues such as PTSD and Depression and the devastating emotional impact of being accused, navigation of disciplinary and legal processes after an accusation, a review of relevant legal cases of 2015, and experienced practical advice on how to move forward in school and in life after suffering an accusation. Attorney and FACE board member Eric Rosenberg held a training for volunteers to learn how to help attorneys prepare pro bono research to aid in the defense of students accused of sexual misconduct both on campus and in the courtroom.
FACE family members and friends share nothing in common other than their experience of being accused. They come from all parts of the country and all walks of life, they hold different personal beliefs and political opinions, and they represent the full diversity that American higher education students have to offer.
The Meet and Greet event followed a mass political advocacy campaign by FACE’s members, who used the trip to Washington D.C. as an opportunity to share their stories with sixty-seven representatives in Congress and raise awareness about the frightening legal environment in which accused students find themselves as a result of controversial overreaching mandates by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
FACE looks forward to the day when its efforts will no longer be necessary, and justice on campus will be strong, fair, and transparent. Until then, FACE will continue its dual efforts to bring accused students and their allies together and to pursue political advocacy on their behalf.

Accused students are often isolated and silenced by gag orders, post-traumatic stress, or shame. FACE believes the antidote to their struggle is to bring people together and to give them a voice, and the Meet and Greet event showed the strength of FACE’s community on a national stage.

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