KC Johnson, co-author of Until Proven Innocent: Political Correctness and the Shameful Injustice of theDuke Lacrosse Rape Case, will give a presentation titled “Abandoning Due Process: Campus Sexual Assault and Presumptions of Guilt” on Monday.
Johnson’s presentation, which is part of the George Washington Forum, will likely center around his core view that those accused of sexual assault on college campuses are not given the same rights of due process as those accused of other crimes.
It’s our understanding that Johnson, also a history professor at Brooklyn College and the City University of New York Graduate Center, thinks many are too quick in rushing to the judgment that those who are accused of sexual assault are guilty, such as members of the Duke lacrosse team who were accused in 2006 of raping a stripper at a house party. Those accusations, which were later proven to be false, led to the resignation of the team’s head coach and the cancellation or forfeiture of each of the team’s games during the 2006 season.
Sexual assault is a sensitive topic that has been widely discussed on Ohio University’s campus, and it doesn’t take a crystal ball to predict that Johnson’s forum on the subject is likely to be controversial and incite a wide range of reactions from students.
We urge students to attend the forum and offer their opinions about it afterward. Whether you’re in agreement with Johnson, take issue with his stance or are otherwise indifferent about what he has to say, we’d like to hear from you.
As always, we encourage you to send us a letter at editor@thepostathens.com if you’d like to sound off on this subject or something else that you feel compelled to share.
Johnson will speak at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the Baker Center Theatre. Check back in The Post on Tuesday for our coverage of the event.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post's executive editors: editor-in-chief Jim Ryan, managing editor Sara Jerde, opinion editor Xander Zellner and projects editor Allan Smith. Post editorials are independent of the publication's news coverage.
