Campus sex assaults stir debate on when to alert students
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — When a student athlete at San Jose State University in California was accused of sexually assaulting two women at an off-campus party over Labor Day weekend, school officials acted decisively.
The case has renewed focus on the problem of sexual assaults involving college students and raises questions about what obligations a university has to inform students and when it's time to go public about an alleged assault.
The school has said the male student was immediately interviewed by police and school officials.
Since no arrests have been made and the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office is still reviewing the case for possible charges, the school felt there was no imminent safety threat to the campus community.
The case follows the high-profile trial of former Stanford University athlete Brock Turner, who was convicted of attacking a woman while she was passed out near a trash bin on campus in January 2015.
Turner's six-month prison sentence sparked national outrage and ignited a debate about campus rape and the criminal justice system.