A recent "Huffington Post" survey found that less than one-third of college students found guilty of sexual assault are expelled.
The survey found that sexual assault perpetrators were expelled only in 30 percent of cases and received suspensions in 47 percent cases. Nearly 17 percent were subjected to educational sanctions and 13 percent were placed on probation sometimes, besides other disciplinary actions.
Researchers said that Association for Student Conduct Administration were partly to blame for telling universities not to be "punitive" when handling campus rape.
The organization highlights that "campus proceedings are educational and the process should not be punitive. Rape' is a legal, criminal term," ASCA President Laura Bennett said. "We're trying to continue to share we're not court, we don't want to be court - we want to provide an administrative, educative process," she said, Jezebel reports.
The Huffington Post surveyed 50 colleges and universities, public and private, to determine types of punishments handed down to students responsible for campus sexual assaults. Overall 32 schools provided data.
The Huffington Post also acquired another set of data from the U.S. Department of Justice to ascertain how 125 higher education institutions treated reports of campus sexual assaults from fiscal year 2011 through 2013. An analysis of the data found that 13 to 30 percent of students guilty of sexual assault were expelled, and between 29 and 68 percent were suspended.
Several college administrators, attorneys, experts and consultants believe that students found guilty of campus sexual assaults shouldn't be allowed to enter school.
"By no means do I think sexual assault is a funny topic. I've had friends that have been victims of things like that. I think it's absolutely disgusting. If I could take back the comments that were said or at least change them in a way I would've expressed them in a sober manner, I absolutely would," One Kansas student, who only went by Arthur to protect his identity, said, KCTV5 reports.
However, sexual assault offenders at the University of Kansas, Michigan State University and the University of Toledo, weren't suspended or expelled, but instead received probation and educational sanctions. In another incident at James Madison University, students found responsible for an assault were penalized with "expulsion after graduation."
"The worst thing we can do is tell someone they can't go to school at our institution," said Bennett, who feels that sanctions could discourage victims from reporting attacks, Huffington Post reports.
