GOOD NEWS. DeVos Expected to Change Campus Sex Assault Proceedings To Be Fair
DeVos has argued that the policy put in place under President Barack Obama is skewed against the accused. She is expected to issue new rules in the near future. At stake is whether schools should require higher standards of evidence when handling complaints and whether both parties should have access to that evidence. Also under review is the use of mediators and the possibility of the accuser and the accused cross-examining each other. When issuing temporary guidance last year, DeVos said she was looking for a more balanced approach.
Cynthia Garett, who heads Families Advocating for Campus Equality, said one false accusation can ruin a student’s life. She said many of the accused students she represents experienced traumatic flashbacks when they watched Kavanaugh testify. Garett said she supports DeVos’ plan to give a greater voice to the accused.
“It is no longer going to be easy to find someone guilty,” Garett said. “But justice has never been easy and it shouldn’t be easy to ruin someone’s life.”
