MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS (PIX11) – Columbia University unveiled its new sexual assault policy on Friday, infuriating students who claim they were denied an opportunity to give their recommendations.
“The fact that they blocked us out consistently every step of the way, prevented us from being able to make this policy better and campus safer,” said Zoe Ridolfi-Starr, a sexual assault survivor.
She is the lead complainant among 23 Columbia students who filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, charging the Ivy League institution mishandled sexual assault cases and made it difficult for students to report such attacks.
In a letter emailed to students, Columbia President Lee Bollinger said: “Our goals underlying the new policy are principally these: to strengthen confidence in the University’s handling of reports of sexual assault and other gender-based misconduct, to ensure fairness for all parties involved, and to provide more assistance to students in need. The changes we’ve made also reflect recent guidance from the White House, the U.S. Department of Education, and federal legislation, as well as our own community’s recommendations.”
The key changes focus on improving the hearing process once a rape or assault is reported by a student. Students now will no longer sit on hearing panels. Instead, the panels will include three specially trained student affairs administrators. And, both the accuser and the accused can, for the first time, bring an attorney or adviser to the hearing.
“One thing we did push for and did see reflected in this new policy is mandatory re-education programs for anyone who’s found guilty of any degree of sexual harassment, sexual violence or domestic violence on campus,” said Ridolfi-Starr.
A new 24-hour rape crisis center is opening, and six new staff positions have been created in the Office of Sexual Violence Response.