In response to several conversations on Colorado Matters this week about sexual assaults on college campuses, a listener wrote in to emphasize that students accused of sexual violence by their fellow students can also be victims.
The White House is pressuring schools to better prevent and respond to sexual assaults, and on Tuesday, former prosecutor Anne Munch told Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner that she consults with universities to do that. Munch said some investigators on campus can have biases that make them skeptical of victims’ stories.
“We often see folks blame victims if they did certains things, wore certain clothes, if they were drinking. They have a tendency to focus on the victim’s behavior and not the offender’s behavior. And that’s just a cultural, societal bent,” Munch said.
Listener Iris Eytan, a defense attorney in Denver, says that's not always the case. Eytan says she represents several young men accused of sexual assault. "The people that are doing these investigations, they believe that when a woman says she was sexually assaulted, that that’s all they need, is a statement from the young woman," Eytan says.
She adds that, "We’re dealing with a very tough situation if you’re a young man and you’re having any kind of sexual contact with a young woman who’s intoxicated."
She says the pendulum has swung too far in the direction of favoring accusers and that the accused are too often punished without sufficient evidence.
"I'm not saying that young women are not being sexually assaulted," she says. "But suspending any kid, no matter how long, it’s career-ending for an individual that might want to go on to get a business degree, or a master’s degree, or work for the government. You can’t do that anymore. You’re done."
Eytan says soon, she thinks some students accused of committing sexual assault will file complaints with the federal government over how cases are handled, just as victims are doing today.
In an interview with CU Boulder Vice Chancellor Deb Coffin on Monday, Colorado Matters Host Ryan Warner asked her how the university is protecting the accused, not just victims themselves.
Coffin said, "We do talk with those students...we work with them to help them through the investigative process as well and support them, so that they do not feel that they've been found guilty before the investigation is complete."
