The Sex Exception.

• Author: Rimensnyder, Sara
• Position: Columbia University's decision to not allow people accused of sexual misconduct due process - Brief Article

Last fall, Columbia University established a new system of hearings for cases of sexual misconduct. The upshot of the changes is the abolition of due process.

To make the hearings "less adversarial" than a courtroom proceeding, the accused doesn't have the opportunity to confront his accuser; nor may he hear his accuser's witnesses and cross-examine them. The accused can't have an attorney present at the hearing, and he has to keep details of the proceedings confidential. And while the code is vague on the question, he may even bear the burden of proof.

Members of Students Active For Ending Rape (SAFER), which took the lead in drafting the new policy, initially tried to depict criticism of their work as the rants of "a small, largely ultraconservative minority," as they wrote in an October 4 statement. "That one really blew up in their face," says Columbia student Karl Ward, who opposes the policy. In fact, criticism is flowing all over the political spectrum. Ward is a Nader supporter and outspoken critic of the death penalty. He is now forming a special section within the university's American Civil Liberties Union chapter to oppose the policy.

Until recently, Ward notes, most students were unaware of...