美国国家公共电台 NPR Trump Administration Defends Campus Sexual Assault Rules

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Trump¹ administration lawyers are defending their new rules on how campuses should handle cases of sexual assault. Survivors² advocates have filed a federal lawsuit³ arguing that the guidance that replaced Obama-era rules now discriminate⁴ against women. Here's NPR's Tovia Smith.

TOVIA SMITH, BYLINE⁵: Last fall, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos scrapped⁶ rules she said were forcing schools to violate the rights of students accused of sexual assault, and she replaced them with her own interim⁷ guidelines. But now, critics say those are hurting alleged⁸ victims and discouraging them from reporting.

JENNIFER REISCH: The message that is sent is that the administration believes that women who report sexual harassment⁹ and violence are liars¹⁰.

SMITH: Jennifer Reisch with Equal Rights Advocates spoke¹¹ to reporters yesterday after a hearing on the lawsuit in federal court in San Francisco. She says victims are being hurt by DeVos's roles. Those guidelines allow schools to demand more evidence to prove an assault, to permit appeals only from the accused and to let investigations¹³ continue for an indefinite amount of time. None of that was allowed in the Obama era.

The old rules also used to require schools to protect alleged victims during investigations. Now, that's up to schools' discretion¹⁴. And the old norm of making the accused student stay away from the accuser is now considered unfair. Schools are supposed to be even-handed, so some are issuing mutual¹⁵ stay-away orders that Reisch says unfairly punish alleged victims by restricting their rights...

REISCH: To use the gym, to go to certain classes, to live in certain places. It is sending a message that you come forward at your peril¹⁶.

SMITH: Government officials declined to comment on pending¹⁷ litigation, but in court, they've denied the rules are discriminatory. And they argue the case should be thrown out on procedural grounds. Justin Dillon, an attorney who represents accused students, agrees it should not go to trial.

JUSTIN DILLON: It is completely frivolous¹⁸.

SMITH: Dillon says most campuses are delaying policy changes till permanent rules are finalized¹⁹. But he says schools who are making changes are making things more fair. For example, fewer students are being ambushed²⁰ without knowing the charges against them, he says. And protective measures are less draconian²¹. And when they're not, Dillon says, it's easier to fix, as he saw recently when a school kicked one of his clients off campus during an investigation¹².

DILLON: You know, I went to them and cited the guidance and said, you can't do this. You're interfering²² with his education. And you can't just not let this kid go to school for the semester while you investigate this. And in that case, I was able to persuade them to let him back on campus.

SMITH: For schools, DeVos's guidance has brought some confusion. As they wait for clarity, they continue to face lawsuits²³ from both alleged victims and the accused.

MARTHA ALEXANDER: I mean, in a lot of ways, it does feel like you're a bit caught in the middle.

SMITH: Martha Alexander oversees²⁴ sexual misconduct cases at the University of Kentucky. That school recently started limiting appeals rights to the accused and requiring panels to be unanimous to find a student at fault.

ALEXANDER: I think that this policy and these changes really is a step towards getting to a more fair system. Some campuses welcome what they consider less onerous²⁵ oversight²⁶ from the government. Peter McDonough with the American Council on Education says it's a relief to some that student complaints to the Department of Education are now treated as isolated²⁷ incidents. And they no longer automatically trigger a broader government investigation of a school that could take years.

PETER MCDONOUGH: The campuses were concerned that an investigation would stay open until something was found. Some would have viewed that as a gotcha approach.

SMITH: But Catherine Lhamon, who oversaw²⁸ government investigations of schools during the Obama administration, says the Trump administration should be more aggressive in trying to uncover whether schools are handling cases fairly.

CATHERINE LHAMON: If the government only investigates what someone thinks to bring to the government, the government's not doing its job. And I worry every day that there is effectively a pass on complying with the law, and that will ruin young lives.

SMITH: But if the Trump administration's approach prompts some schools to ease up on how they handle sexual assault cases, defense²⁹ attorney Andrew Miltenberg says other schools are doubling down.

ANDREW MILTENBERG: There has been a very palpable sense of hell no, women have rights. And I'm not turning around and changing how we treat rape³⁰ victims just because we have Donald Trump as a president.

SMITH: Miltenberg says policy corrections are needed, but they must be consistent and measured. Campuses that flout³¹ due process protections are just as troubling, he says, as schools now meting³² out probations for offenses³³ that used to get expulsions. Tovia Smith, NPR News.

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

3 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

4 discriminate   

v.区别，辨别，区分；有区别地对待

参考例句：

• You must learn to discriminate between facts and opinions.你必须学会把事实和看法区分出来。
• They can discriminate hundreds of colours.他们能分辨上百种颜色。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 scrapped   

废弃(scrap的过去式与过去分词)； 打架

参考例句：

• This machine is so old that it will soon have to be scrapped. 这架机器太旧，快报废了。
• It had been thought that passport controls would be scrapped. 人们曾认为会放开护照管制。

7 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

8 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

9 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

10 liars   

说谎者( liar的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The greatest liars talk most of themselves. 最爱自吹自擂的人是最大的说谎者。
• Honest boys despise lies and liars. 诚实的孩子鄙视谎言和说谎者。

11 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

12 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

13 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

14 discretion   

n.谨慎；随意处理

参考例句：

• You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
• Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。

15 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

16 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

17 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

18 frivolous   

adj.轻薄的；轻率的

参考例句：

• This is a frivolous way of attacking the problem.这是一种轻率敷衍的处理问题的方式。
• He spent a lot of his money on frivolous things.他在一些无聊的事上花了好多钱。

19 finalized   

vt.完成（finalize的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The draft of this article has been finalized [done]. 这篇文章已经定稿。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The draft was revised several times before it was finalized. 稿子几经删改才定下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

20 ambushed   

v.埋伏( ambush的过去式和过去分词 )；埋伏着

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The military vehicles were ambushed. 军车遭到伏击。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 draconian   

adj.严苛的；苛刻的；严酷的；龙一样的

参考例句：

• You can't expect the people to obey such draconian regulations.你不能指望人民服从如此严苛的规定。
• The city needs a draconian way of dealing with robbers.这个城市需要一个严苛的办法来对付强盗。

22 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。

23 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

24 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

25 onerous   

adj.繁重的

参考例句：

• My household duties were not particularly onerous.我的家务活并不繁重。
• This obligation sometimes proves onerous.这一义务有时被证明是艰巨的。

26 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

27 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

28 oversaw   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He will go down as the president who oversaw two historic transitions. 他将作为见证了巴西两次历史性转变的总统，安然引退。 来自互联网
• Dixon oversaw the project as creative director of Design Research Studio. 狄克逊监督项目的创意总监设计研究工作室。 来自互联网

29 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

30 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

31 flout   

v./n.嘲弄，愚弄，轻视

参考例句：

• Parents who flout Family Court orders may be named in the media in Australia.在澳洲父母亲若是藐视家庭法庭的裁定可能在媒体上被公布姓名。
• The foolish boy flouted his mother's advice.这个愚蠢的孩子轻视他母亲的劝告。

32 meting   

v.（对某人）施以，给予（处罚等）( mete的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The manager was strict and fair in meting out rewards and punishments. 经理赏罚严明。 来自互联网
• Doris Crockford. Mr. Potter. I can't believe I'm meting you at last. 我叫桃瑞丝。韦斯莱。波特先生。我真不敢相信，总算见到您了。 来自互联网

33 offenses   

n.进攻( offense的名词复数 )；（球队的）前锋；进攻方法；攻势

参考例句：

• It's wrong of you to take the child to task for such trifling offenses. 因这类小毛病责备那孩子是你的不对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Thus, Congress cannot remove an executive official except for impeachable offenses. 因此，除非有可弹劾的行为，否则国会不能罢免行政官员。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法