Is MHEC Up to the Job?
Moore gave the state's troubled higher-education agency 90 days to rewrite campus sexual-misconduct standards. The agency has had an interim leader for seven months.
On October 15, Governor Wes Moore directed the Maryland Higher Education Commission to review sexual-assault policies at the state's colleges and universities and recommend improvements within 90 days. The recommendations are to cover sexual misconduct policies, reporting frameworks, and disciplinary standards, and MHEC is to do the work alongside Attorney General Anthony Brown's office.
Cornell University Rape Cover-Up
The trigger was national: a lawsuit filed last month by a former Cornell University student alleging she was gang-raped at a fraternity party in October 2024. Local prosecutors did not bring charges; Cornell imposed suspensions and expulsions. Protests followed in Washington and around the country. “Deeply troubling accounts have emerged in recent days,” Moore wrote, “of how students outside of Maryland have bravely come forward to report sexual assault and have been failed by the institutions that are supposed to ensure their safety.”
Ninety days from October 15 is January 13 — the day the General Assembly convenes. Whatever MHEC produces could become legislation.
[PAYWALL BREAK]
