Brown University is facing protests over its handling of sexual assault after two students said their drink was laced with date rape drugs at a fraternity party. Brown suspended the fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi, but dropped charges against the student accused of administering the drugs, whose father is a Brown trustee and donor. The accused student hired his own expert, who questioned toxicology tests ordered by the school, leading to revelations Brown had selected laboratories with a history of inaccuracy. Meanwhile, a second student accused of sexually assaulting one of the women was found “not responsible” after Brown said the woman’s foggy memory — a symptom of drugging — made it difficult to disprove her alleged assailant’s account. On Wednesday, 400 students marched silently through campus with dollar bills over their mouths, bearing a red IX, a reference to Title IX. Brown is one of 94 colleges under federal investigation for possible violations of Title IX due to its handling of sexual violence.
2014