The Eagle supports the Department of Education's ruling against Georgetown University's policy that prohibits sexual assault victims from accessing information about their attackers. The policy made the victims sign a confidentiality agreement if they wanted to know how their attacker was disciplined.
AU has a similar policy, except that the confidentiality agreement is verbal rather than written. If the victim breaks the agreement, the student could face disciplinary action. Victims of sexual assault should be able to choose to talk about the incident if the accused are actually found guilty. If they are not found guilty, they should respect their rights to privacy. The rights of someone who may be falsely accused must be balanced with the need for victims to find support and counseling.
Universities should be transparent enough about on-campus crime, which endangers their students and others in the area, that they will take the proper precautions. When people aren't aware of the frequency of incidents such as sexual assault, they tend to not be as careful or aware. Not wanting to get sued or ruin the school's reputation is not a good enough reason to keep criminal activity a secret.
An estimated one in four women are victims of rape or attempted rape during college. This is a serious issue and university officials should give these victims support.
