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UK Researchers Publish Book on Adjudication of Sexual Assault on College Campuses

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

Claire Renzetti sits at a desk. A new book by researchers in the University of Kentucky's Center for Research on Violence Against Women (CRVAW) explores adjudication options on sexual misconduct on college campuses.

Published in January by Cognella, "Adjudicating Campus Sexual Misconduct and Assault" was edited by CRVAW Director Diane Follingstad and Judi Conway Patton Endowed Chair Claire Renzetti.

"There is considerable confusion around policies and procedures for addressing campus sexual misconduct and assault and a good deal of diversity across campuses," said Renzetti, who is also professor and chair of the UK Department of Sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences. "One of our goals has been to provide some clarity with regard to such issues as consent, standards of proof, sanctions, the role of attorneys and other components of campus adjudication processes."

The book's publisher, Cognella says this book "convenes the voices of leading legal and social analysts and practitioners to discuss the most complex dimensions of this timely and critical issue. The volume provides thorough and honest assessment of adjudication options and promotes dialogue regarding how to increase collaboration, improve responses, and address challenges that arise both within institutions and externally."

The center will host its annual "Campus Responses to Sexual Misconduct" conference again this fall, with this year's theme being "Changing the Culture on Campus." The conference will take place Sept. 24-25 at the Marriott Lexington City Center. Registration for the conference opens soon. For more information, visit https://www.uky.edu/crvaw/2020CRSM.

The book is part of the Cognella Series on Family and Gender-Based Violence, an interdisciplinary collection of textbooks featuring cross-cultural perspectives, cutting-edge strategies and interventions, and timely research on family and gender-based violence. Paperback, e-book and spiral bound editions are available.

The University of Kentucky is increasingly the first choice for students, faculty and staff to pursue their passions and their professional goals. In the last two years, Forbes has named UK among the best employers for diversity, and INSIGHT into Diversity recognized us as a Diversity Champion three years running. UK is ranked among the top 30 campuses in the nation for LGBTQ* inclusion and safety. UK has been judged a “Great College to Work for" two years in a row, and UK is among only 22 universities in the country on Forbes' list of "America's Best Employers."  We are ranked among the top 10 percent of public institutions for research expenditures — a tangible symbol of our breadth and depth as a university focused on discovery that changes lives and communities. And our patients know and appreciate the fact that UK HealthCare has been named the state’s top hospital for four straight years. Accolades and honors are great. But they are more important for what they represent: the idea that creating a community of belonging and commitment to excellence is how we honor our mission to be not simply the University of Kentucky, but the University for Kentucky.