Sexual assault is a growing epidemic that continues to plague universities and colleges across the nation. After this past Friday, it is clear that Betsy DeVos and the Department of Education do not have ambitions to protect sexual assault victims, or even decrease the reported number of assaults on campuses.

The Obama administration introduced guidelines that required colleges to use a higher standard of proof, preponderance of evidence. DeVos proposed that all colleges were free to abandon those guidelines completely and lower the standard known to clear and convincing evidence. The issue at hand is not whether the old guidelines were doing their job, but rather how these new guidelines will affect colleges and sexual assault victims.

DeVos’ proposal is focused on protecting the accused, rather than the victims. One has to wonder how this will affect the number of sexual assaults reported. If an institution chooses to implement this policy, with little to no physical evidence, it will be easier for someone accused of sexual assault to avoid charges.

This is not to suggest that there are no cases of people wrongfully accused of sexual assault, but DeVos should focus on how colleges can better address sexual assault and support victims. The effects of her newly proposed guidelines could be a giant step backwards, as more universities could opt for clear and convincing evidence, as it could prevent their reported crime statistics from increasing. Investigations that are currently in progress are also in question here. Their status remains unknown as schools decide how to implement these new standards.

It is possible that the cases could be dropped altogether, and victims could never get the chance to be served justice.

Students cannot let this potential setback prevent them from continuing to fight for sexual assault victims across the nation. They must fight to keep sexual assault prevention programs intact in hopes of continuing to educate those around them, while institutions across the nation continue to confront sexual assault.

Photo by: Taylor Woods| The Oswegonian