In a statement published in the Opinion section of The Boston Globe, 28 current and retired Harvard Law School professors voice strong objections to the university’s new policy on sexual misconduct, saying they believe it will do more harm than good.
The professors emphasize that they “strongly endorse the importance of protecting our students from sexual misconduct,” but they say the procedures Harvard is putting in place “lack the most basic elements of fairness and due process, are overwhelmingly stacked against the accused, and are in no way required by Title IX law or regulation.”
Saying the policy was adopted too hastily under pressure from the federal government, they call on the university to withdraw it and start over.
The university, in a statement quoted in a separate article in the Globe, said the new policy had been enacted after a two-year review and that its guidelines “create an expert, neutral, fair, and objective mechanism for investigating sexual-misconduct cases involving students.”
From the professors’ statement:
“We strongly endorse the importance of protecting our students from sexual misconduct and providing an educational environment free from the sexual and other harassment that can diminish educational opportunity. But we believe that this particular sexual harassment policy adopted by Harvard will do more harm than good.”
Read more at: www.bostonglobe.com
