"Accusations of sexual violence and sexual assault should never be taken lightly. But neither should accusations be taken as truth."

So says Walter Russell Mead at his American Interest blog:

Dr. Helen Smith highlights an explosive topic that few want to talk about openly: discrimination against male students on college campuses. As Dr. Helen notes, university policies on sexual misconduct, as well as societal bias, are putting many college men in the hot seat, but few seem to care:….

Accusations of sexual violence and sexual assault should never be taken lightly. But neither should accusations be taken as truth. America is a country based on rights and fair procedure. Those accused of serious offenses must not be deprived of their rights, and college authorities cannot, in their commendable desire to protect female students, deny male students their basic rights. Both male and female students must feel that their rights will be protected and that they will be treated equally by their university should conflict arise.

No matter what happens, communities of young people in their teens and twenties are going to witness the consequences of poor judgment and crossed signals. The old norm, in which victims were expected to shut up and move on, was deeply unjust for young women. Feminists are absolutely right to want that to change. But the reality is that creating a safe and welcoming atmosphere on campus involves more than coming down like a ton of bricks on any young man accused of crossing the line. It involves much more adult leadership and guidance about responsible sexual behavior, and it involves a deeper commitment to the moral leadership and development of youth than most academics are comfortable thinking about.