Today’s moderator

This week, the University of Virginia chapter of Phi Kappa Psi slapped Rolling Stone with a lawsuit over its Nov. 19 story that described a horrific gang rape by frat boys — an account that crumbled under scrutiny.

The lawsuit calls the discredited report “reckless.” Victim advocates, meanwhile, call the magazine piece injurious both to the perceived credibility of rape victims and hard-fought efforts to coax victims to come forward.

As the spotlight glared on Rolling Stone’s errors, light also shone on campus rape. America debated its breadth and possible solutions.

Some say the answer lies in crafting more state and federal laws, such as requiring mandatory reporting by campus rape victims. That’s because while one-third of off-campus rape victims report the attacks, only 20 percent of campus rape victims do. Given concerns that such laws infringe on victims’ rights — and that colleges already are among the most aggressive anti-rape agents — critics, such as one of today’s columnists, argue that more legislation isn’t the answer.

Meanwhile, while today’s other columnist believes changes are needed, he argues better, more accessible education for students and bolstered public-safety accreditation for federally funded institutions is the best route for curbing campus rape.

By the numbers

18 to 24: the age group of women between 1995–2013 that suffered the highest rate of rape and sexual assault victimizations, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

80: the percentage of cases involving both college students and non-students in which the victim was acquainted with the offender, according to the DOJ.

16: the percentage of female students who endured sexual assault and received assistance from a victim services agency, reports the DOJ.