Report shows New York colleges flunk after sexual harassment cases

Ns News Online Desk: Syracuse University tops a long list of New York colleges and universities that judges have slapped for their handling of sexual-harassment investigations, according to a nonprofit.

In just the past few years, federal and state judges have found “widespread due process deficiencies for sexual harassment cases” at the institutions, handing down 31 rulings against the 16 schools, according to Stop Abusive and Violent Environments, or SAVE, which compiled this year’s “Kangaroo Court Hall of Shame.”

Six of those rulings went against Syracuse — more than any other university in New York. A rep for the upstate university shot back at the report.

“This interpretation of these cases misrepresents the judicial decisions and demonstrates a lack of understanding of Title IX, the legal process to adjudicate these cases and the student conduct process. Our process is fundamentally fair, informed by federal and state law, and intended to ensure due process,” Sarah Scales, senior associate vice president of communications, said in a statement.Next on the list: Columbia, Cornell and SUNY Purchase, all of which had three rulings against them.The judges found the colleges were “failing to observe the most fundamental notions of fairness,” according to SAVE, a project of the Center for Prosecutor Integrity.