Friday, April 10, 2015

New York Times highlights Sokolow on student involvement in hearing panels

But the most important reason, Mr. Sokolow said, is that many victims may not come forward if they know their peers will judge them. The process is difficult enough, he said, without forcing victims to face people they know already or may later see in classrooms, cafeterias and dormitories.


Thursday, April 9, 2015

Bloomberg quotes Sokolow on college discrimination accusations

From 2012 to 2013, the number of Title IX complaints nearly quintupled. Brett Sokolow, whom BuzzFeed called "the most successful sexual assault consultant in the country," attributed that rise to a 2011 "Dear Colleague Letter" released by the DOE to make it clear what colleges and universities must do to combat sexual harassment on campus. He also attributes it to the efforts of such organizations as Know Your IX, which are designed to help students combat sexual violence through Title IX.

The rise is "mostly because of the efforts of Know Your IX, in light of the 2011 DCL," he said.

Affiliated Consultant, Jason Laker, quoted in Huffington Post on recent fraternity closings

Jason Laker, a professor in the Department of Counselor Education at San José State University, said there needs to be more of an effort to help fraternity members who potentially act in racist, sexist or violent ways understand the impact their actions will have. It's important to remember, Laker said, that society's current construct of masculinity has taught guys on campus that being dominant over women or other males is what makes someone a man -- an idea that must be broken down.

"We're so quick to denigrate and say, 'you're horrid,' 'you're a racist,' 'you're a bigot and sexist,'" Laker said, "even though there's truth to that we raised the kids to be that way."


Click here to read the full article.

Monday, April 6, 2015

Sokolow quoted on policy in Washington Examiner

...Brett Sokolow, director of the Association of Title IX Administrators, [says] that in many cases where both parties were drinking, "the accuser has violated the letter of the policy as much as the accused has[:] If both are intoxicated, they both did the same thing to each other … Why should only the male be charged if both students behave in ways defined as prohibited by the policy?" Sokolow suggests a policy requiring the accuser to be incapacitated, not merely intoxicated and for the accused to reasonably know she was such.


Sokolow quoted in Esquire on reporting data

"There really has not been an increase in incidents," says [Sokolow]. "The catalyst was a shift in priorities for a new administration coming into office."


Chronicle quotes Sokolow on faculty response to alleged harassment

Colleges are becoming less likely to refer charges of discriminatory faculty conduct to judicial panels with faculty representatives, and more likely to entrust administrative officers to investigate such allegations and determine guilt, says Brett A. Sokolow, president of the National Center for Higher Education Risk Management, a consulting and law firm.


http://ow.ly/LfPYv (subscription required)