The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal endorses the National Coalition for Men Carolinas’ “Statement in Support of Due Process Protections for North Carolina University Students.” The statement urges North Carolina to ensure the “fair, equitable, and unbiased treatment” of students facing disciplinary proceedings by statute.
Although an existing North Carolina statute preserves K-12 students’ due process rights, university students’ rights during adjudications are determined by administrators. This disturbing practice, which has been connected to multiple suicide deaths and attempted suicides, must end.
North Carolina’s flagship university, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, received a “C” from The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education in its recent report on due process. For students facing Title IX-related disciplinary proceedings at UNC-Chapel Hill, there is no clearly stated presumption of innocence for the accused, no timely and adequate written notice of allegations, no adequate time to prepare for a hearing, and no requirement that expulsion must be agreed upon unanimously or determined by clear and convincing evidence. Similar denials of basic due process rights can be found throughout the UNC system.
“Universities must stop using kangaroo courts to adjudicate serious crimes. Students accused of sexual violence should receive the constitutional protections guaranteed to all Americans,” said Jenna A. Robinson, president of the Martin Center. Robinson signed the statement, along with the Martin Center’s director of editorial content George Leef, director of policy analysis Jay Schalin, writer/editor Anthony Hennen, and policy associate Shannon Watkins.
We encourage you to read the statement in its entirety.