The U.S. education secretary says changes are planned to federal guidelines for how colleges and universities handle sexual assault and harassment issues.

Besty DeVos' push to revisit the rules opens a debate over how schools should investigate cases of sexual assault, a process that for years has been linked to whether universities are following federal guidelines prohibiting discrimination based on gender. Critics of the current system include DeVos, who says they need to change to better balance the rights of victims and those who are accused of sexual assault.

Her opponents say the current guidelines, which have been in place since 2011 are effective in explaining to colleges and universities their role in preventing and handling security harassment and violence on campus.

What will change?

Schools are required to offer a clear way for students and employees to file complaints and hold fair, open campus investigations and criminal investigations by local police. They must also provide special medical services for victims.

If they fail to meet these and other requirements, the Education Department has the right to block their federal funding. However the federal government has not used that leverage against any school.

DeVos has not explained in detail how the rules will change. She said her office will ask the public and universities for help in developing new ones.

Critics of the Obama administration policy cheered the announcement, saying the rules are biased against the accused.

Andrew Miltenberg, a lawyer who represents students accused of sexual assault, said he was glad to see the government recognize that schools had been mistreating the accused. Critics say that the legal processes that some schools put in place to deal with accusations of sexual assault fall short of standards of due process guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.

Other groups oppose the proposed changes, saying that the process will weaken schools' commitment to prosecuting

"I really fear that DeVos will take us back to the days when schools [often] violated survivors' rights and pushed sexual assault under the rug," said Sejal Singh, a policy coordinator for "Know your IX." Other members of the group said the secretary is sending a message that no one will hold schools responsible for protecting students.

Other critics say the policy changes will favor men, since most accusations of sexual assault involve men as the accused. DeVos has rejected criticism that portrays the issue as one pitting men against women.

"Every survivor of sexual misconduct must be taken seriously,” DeVos said. “Every student accused of sexual misconduct must know that guilt is not [already decided]."

At the same time, she made clear that "acts of sexual misconduct are … unacceptable" and must be dealt with directly.

Protests on Campus

When DeVos spoke on the issue last week at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, about 25 protesters gathered outside the venue. Some were women who said they had been assaulted on their campuses.

Gloria Larson, the president of Bentley University near Boston, said her school would continue to follow the Obama administration rules. Terry Hartle, senior vice president of American Council on Education, an organization of about 1,800 college presidents, said many schools will likely do the same.

Brown University in Rhode Island released a statement saying that because of Title IX rules under the previous administration, it and other schools had increased its response and treatment of sexual assault cases.

"We are committed to ensuring that our policies and processes comply with federal requirements and guidance, and our dedication to this commitment remains strong," the press release said. "We will … [maintain] a campus culture in which all community members are equally valued, respected and safe."

Ruth Chane, a computer science major from Ethiopia, writes about her experiences settling into student life at Whitman College in the U.S. state of Washington.

"The community at Whitman College made sure I felt welcomed even before I stepped foot on campus," she says.

Read her essay here.

In The Student Life, the student newspaper for the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five liberal art colleges and two graduate schools in Claremont, California, student Rochelle Lu writes about readjusting to her Shanghai home after spending a semester in the United States.

Read the full story here.

Cedarville University in the U.S. state of Ohio says it’s got more than 140 international students representing 44 countries.

Here, the school interviews Jonathan Sutton, director of international student services. He talks about his job and the opportunities for international students on campus.

Read the full article here.

Morehouse College, a private, historically Black liberal arts college in the U.S. state of Georgia, offers a guide for international students interested in attending the school.

Among the tips to apply and thrive at Morehouse:

• Take advantage of the school’s orientation program
• Turn to the school’s Center for Academic Success for tutoring, support and more
• Immerse yourself in campus life via clubs and societies

Read the full article here.

WASHINGTON — 

The administration of President Donald Trump said on Monday it will review Columbia University's federal contracts and grants over allegations of antisemitism, which it says the educational institution has shown inaction in tackling.

Rights advocates note rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias since U.S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza began after Palestinian Hamas militants' deadly October 2023 attack.

The Justice Department said a month ago it formed a task force to fight antisemitism. The U.S. Departments of Health and Education and the General Services Administration jointly made the review announcement on Monday.

"The Federal Government's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is considering Stop Work Orders for $51.4 million in contracts between Columbia University and the Federal Government," the joint statement said.

The agencies said no contracting actions had been taken yet.

"The task force will also conduct a comprehensive review of the more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments to Columbia University."

The agencies did not respond to requests for comment on whether there were similar reviews over allegations of Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias.

Columbia had no immediate comment. It previously said it made efforts to tackle antisemitism.

College protests

Trump has signed an executive order to combat antisemitism and pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests.

Columbia was at the center of college protests in which demonstrators demanded an end to U.S. support for Israel due to the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's assault on Gaza. There were allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia in protests and counter-protests.

During last summer's demonstrations around the country, classes were canceled, some university administrators resigned and student protesters were suspended and arrested.

While the intensity of protests has decreased in recent months, there were some demonstrations last week in New York after the expulsion of two students at Columbia University-affiliated Barnard College and after New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the removal of a Palestinian studies job listing at Hunter College.

A third student at Barnard College has since been expelled, this one related to the occupation of the Hamilton Hall building at Columbia last year.