Families Advocating for Campus Equality

Families Advocating for Campus Equality
Founded 2014 (2014)
Founder Sherry Warner Seefeld,
Allison Strange
Focus Title IX Equality
Key people
 Cynthia Garrett
(Co-President)
Website facecampusequality.org

Families Advocating for Campus Equality (FACE) is an American non-profit organization whose stated goal is to ensure fairness and due process for all parties involved in allegations of sexual misconduct on college and university campuses. FACE was started by Sherry Warner Seefeld and two other mothers who say their sons were falsely accused of sexual misconduct on their college campuses.[1]

History

Cynthia P. Garrett, an attorney, and Alison Scott are currently co-presidents of FACE, which has expanded rapidly over the last few years as awareness of campus Title IX issues has become more well publicized. The organization, which became a non-profit in 2014, has had hundreds of students and their families contact FACE for support and advice. In 2017 alone, FACE welcomed over two hundred new families, and the students now include LGBTQ and women, as well as men. According to Alison Scott, family and student support is a major aspect of FACE's focus, and FACE provides ongoing opportunities for families to meet, support and consult with each other.

Issues

Seefeld, who was FACE's first president, acknowledges the problem of sexual assault on college campuses, but says "Even if a small percentage of rape reports are given falsely, it's not OK to throw away one person's life".[1] Seefeld's son, Caleb Warner, was accused in January 2010 of sexually assaulting a fellow University of North Dakota student.[2] He was initially suspended from the university, but the sanction was later lifted after no criminal charges were filed against Warner, and his accuser was charged with making a false report to law enforcement, with a warrant being issued for her arrest.[3][4] Seefeld says, "It's pretty hard to say, 'Well, you know, some people are falsely accused,' because immediately, you are accused of being a rape apologist, it is assumed that your son is a rapist and you're lying for him."[1][5]

Advocacy

FACE has become actively involved in educating state and federal legislators about the need for improvement in the way campuses respond to allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct. On July 13, 2017, co-presidents Alison Scott and Cynthia Garrett shepherded several students who had endured biased Title IX disciplinary proceedings to a meeting in Washington DC with Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Garrett reported that the room was eerily silent as the Secretary listened intently to several students tell her their stories. Later, during Secretary DeVos' September 7, 2017 speech at George Mason University, she said "Since becoming Secretary, I’ve heard from many students whose lives were impacted by sexual misconduct: students who came to campus to gain knowledge, and who instead lost something sacred." The Secretary declared, "We know this much to be true: one rape is one too many. One assault is one too many. One aggressive act of harassment is one too many. One person denied due process is one too many."[6]

Positions

Cynthia Garrett has said she believes the goals of victim protection and equitable processes are not mutually exclusive. Garrett served on an American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section task force which addressed the problem and, in June 2017, the task force issued "recommendations to guide colleges and universities".[7] Garrett said FACE is "not looking for a one-sided, make-it-impossible for complainants to have their rights vindicated" approach.[8] Garrett added, "We're looking for a balanced solution and we don't believe the current enforcement, or 'Dear Colleague' letter offers a balanced solution."[8] In another interview, Garrett said, "We want fair procedures. We don't want to take away Title IX."[9] In 2015, FACE criticized Senator Kirsten Gillibrand for inviting Emma Sulkowicz to the State of the Union Address, saying such an honor was "undeserved and violates the principles of confidentiality and gender equality of Title IX, the law that oversees sexual misconduct on campus" and saying that "Sulkowicz failed to establish any wrongdoing by the student she accused after a tribunal, and an appeal at Columbia, as well as an investigation by the New York Police Department."[10] In July 2017 Columbia settled with Nungesser on undisclosed terms.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Frank, Tracy (24 August 2014). "Nonprofit supports rights of those accused of campus sexual assault". The Bismarck Tribune. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  2. ↑ "Presumed Guilty". The Chronicle of Higher Education.
  3. ↑ "University of North Dakota: Accuser Is Criminally Charged with Lying to Police, But School Refuses to Reopen Misconduct Case - FIRE". Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.
  4. ↑ "With New Law, North Dakota Guarantees College Students' Right to Attorney - FIRE". Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.
  5. ↑ "Few rights for either side in college judicial procedures". The Columbus Dispatch. 25 November 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  6. ↑ "Secretary DeVos Prepared Remarks on Title IX Enforcement - U.S. Department of Education". www.ed.gov.
  7. ↑ "ABA Task Force on College Due Process Rights and Victim Protections releases final report « ABA News Archives". www.americanbar.org.
  8. 1 2 "The beginning of the end for Obama's Title IX rules?". POLITICO.
  9. ↑ Silva, Danielle (13 July 2017). "Education Department Official Apologizes for Campus Assault Comments". NBC News.
  10. ↑ Richardson, Valerie (26 January 2015). "Kirsten Gillibrand blasted for decision to invite Columbia 'mattress girl' to SOTU". The Washington Times. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
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