With no fanfare, the University of Virginia has announced a new sexual misconduct policy, prompted by a federal investigation.
UVA spent about a year trying to figure out how it could better handle cases of sexual assault, harassment, and stalking, after the U.S. Department of Education said the school might be guilty of discrimination based on gender. That announcement came after a former student said she was raped in 2011 and that administrators botched an investigation, losing key evidence.
The new policy requires that a full-time investigator check-out any complaints and that students and employees be allowed to have a lawyer or other adviser during disciplinary hearings. It also provides students with a guide to medical treatment, counseling or getting an order to keep someone away.
It makes official an earlier change recommended by the Dept. of Education - that it would no longer take clear and convincing evidence to prove sexual assault. Now, victims need only have a preponderance of evidence on their side.
The policy will likely change again after the Board of Visitors, the Department of Education and a campus committee weigh in.