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N.C. Bill Would Add Protections For College Students Accused Of Sexual Assault

The Old Well on campus at The University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. Proposed legislation addresses sexual assault investigative procedures at schools throughout the UNC System. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

North Carolina lawmakers have introduced legislation that would add protections for college students accused of sexual assault. But victim's rights advocates are concerned. 

Senate Bill 117 was introduced by Republican Representatives Joyce Krawiec, Deanna Ballard, and Vickie Sawyer.

The proposal raises the burden of proof for UNC System schools to find students responsible for sexual assault. It guarantees accused students the right to legal counsel during the investigative and disciplinary process and opens the door to witness cross-examination.

Krawiec says the current system is unfair to students who may have been falsely accused of sexual assault, and that the legislation ensures due process rights. 

Critics of the bill say it puts too much burden of proof on the alleged victims.

Catherine Johnson is the director of the Guilford County Family Justice Center. She tells The News & Observer that the bill would create “more systemic barriers that survivors have to navigate” in an already arduous process.

A nearly identical bill failed to pass in 2019. If this version wins approval, it would take effect in the fall.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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