You have been notified by a member of Human Resources that you were accused of misconduct by one of your peers. You are immediately forced to vacate your office and then escorted from the building by security officers for the duration of an internal investigation by an appointed company administrator. This administrator is trained to believe most allegations are true and a “not responsible” finding in such cases could lead to revenue loss from a significant source. At this time, you have not been informed of the details of the allegation, and are told you are limited to one advisor for assistance and will suffer penalties if you discuss this matter with anyone other than that advisor. Further instructions reveal that your advisor is not permitted to speak or ask questions during any interviews or hearings. A few weeks later you are interviewed by the investigator where you learn for the first time who accused you and the specifics of the allegation, which were non-consensual sexual touching during a large social meeting 2 months ago. You deny the allegation because it simply is not true, you have never and would never touch anyone inappropriately. You also explain you have no recollection of interacting with your accuser at that event, however you do remember that the room was crowded and while traversing the room you accidentally bumped into a couple people and excused yourself. There were no video recordings of the meeting and the only evidence the investigator has is your accuser’s statement, the statement of the person your accuser confided in, and proof you were at the meeting. As additional evidence, you offer numeous stellar character references from colleagues and the names of 2 witnesses from the meeting that can corroborate your narrative of the event. The investigator compiles a report including evidence she/he deems appropriate and submits this to another appointed administrator for adjudication. Another few weeks pass and you are notified that you have been found responsible for sexual harassment and are dismissed from your position. Your reputation, career and future have been severely damaged! What do you do now?

This outcome would probably never occur outside of campuses because you are protected by our U.S. constitution and civil liberties such as due process, but now imagine you, or YOUR innocent family member, are accused while on a campus where due process and the presumption of innocence are NOT treated as fundamental rights!  Inequitable disciplinary proceedings remove the due process necessary to determine the truth in misconduct complaints. Without due process the integrity of the entire process is lost.