Families Advocating for Campus Equality

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 campuses. FACE was started by Sherry Warner Seefeld and two other mothers who say their sons were falsely accused of sexual misconduct on college campuses.[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]

Seefeld, who acts as president of the organization, acknowledges the problem of sexual assault on college campuses, but says "it can’t be solved by creating more victims. Even if a small percentage of rape reports are given falsely, it’s not OK to throw away one person’s life".[1] Seefeld says her organization provides a "support network" for the accused and their families.[6] North Dakota has considered a bill to permit students accused of misconduct to hire their own lawyer.[7]

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" noting 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."[8]

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. ↑ Kitchens, Caroline (7 August 2014). "Mothers for Due Process". National Review. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  7. ↑ "College sexual assault crackdown sparks effort to protect rights of accused". The Washingtion Times.
  8. ↑ Richardson, Valerie (26 January 2015). "Kirsten Gillibrand blasted for decision to invite Columbia 'mattress girl' to SOTU". The Washington Times. Retrieved 3 February 2015.

External links

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