This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/federal-government-releases-list-of-55-colleges-universities-under-title-ix-investigations-over-handling-of-sexual-violence/2014/05/01/e0a74810-d13b-11e3-937f-d3026234b51c_story.html?wprss=rss_homepage

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
55 colleges under Title IX investigation for their handling of sex assault claims 55 colleges under Title IX investigation for their handling of sex assault claims
(about 1 hour later)
The new federal list of 55 colleges and universities with open “sexual violence investigations” includes some of the biggest names in higher education and a few from the Washington region. The release Thursday of a federal list of 55 colleges with open “sexual violence investigations” underscores that the twin problem of how to prevent and respond to sex assaults on campus has become a national question, touching schools from elite privates to large publics to small regional schools.
The list, released Thursday, continues the federal push to shine a spotlight on campus sex assaults in response to questions raised in recent years about how prominent colleges have handled rape allegations and related issues. This week, a White House task force released a report aiming to help colleges prevent sex assaults. The list from the Education Department continues the Obama administration’s push to shine a spotlight on sex assault in response to questions raised in recent years about how prominent colleges have handled rape allegations and related issues. This week, a White House task force released a report aiming to help colleges prevent sex assaults.
The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights is examining complaints it received from the nation’s college campuses and those it discovered as part of its regular efforts to see if schools are in compliance with the federal law known as Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender at schools that receive federal funding. The department said this is the first comprehensive look at which campuses are under review for possible violations of the law’s requirements for the handling of sexual violence, but the new list does not include details about exactly what the department is examining at each school. Three Ivy League universities landed on the list: Harvard University (its college and its law school), Princeton University and Dartmouth College. So did other prestigious private schools, such as Emory University, the University of Southern California and Amherst and Swarthmore colleges.
There were four schools listed from Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia: Catholic University of America, Frostburg State University, the College of William and Mary and the University of Virginia.
The department’s Office for Civil Rights is examining complaints it received from individuals on campuses and those it discovered as part of its regular efforts to see if schools are in compliance with the federal law known as Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender at schools that receive federal funding.
The department said this is the first comprehensive look at which campuses are under review for possible violations of the law’s requirements for the handling of sexual violence. But the new list does not include details about exactly what the department is examining at each school.
“We hope this increased transparency will spur community dialogue about this important issue,” said Catherine E. Lhamon, assistant secretary for civil rights. “I also want to make it clear that a college or university’s appearance on this list and being the subject of a Title IX investigation in no way indicates at this stage that the college or university is violating or has violated the law.”“We hope this increased transparency will spur community dialogue about this important issue,” said Catherine E. Lhamon, assistant secretary for civil rights. “I also want to make it clear that a college or university’s appearance on this list and being the subject of a Title IX investigation in no way indicates at this stage that the college or university is violating or has violated the law.”
Catholic University of America was the lone D.C. institution on the list. Some universities provided a few details Thursday after the list was released.
“The University was informed by the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights on January 8, 2014, that a Catholic University student had filed a Title IX complaint,” said university spokesman Victor Nakas in an e-mailed statement. “The complaint concerned the investigation and adjudication of a report of sexual assault that occurred in December 2012. Catholic University spokesman Victor Nakas said the university learned Jan. 8, 2014, that one of its students had filed a Title IX complaint. “The complaint concerned the investigation and adjudication of a report of sexual assault that occurred in December 2012,” Nakas said. He said Catholic is cooperating fully and is “confident that there will be a just resolution of this matter.”
“The University has cooperated fully with the Department of Education to provide all of the information that the department has requested in a timely manner. It will continue to do so and is confident that there will be a just resolution of this matter. Frostburg State spokeswoman Liz Medcalf said the federal investigation at the university in Western Maryland apparently began in the fall semester. She said it concerns a single assault case that occurred off campus in 2013.
Also on the list were the College of William and Mary and the University of Virginia. “Anything beyond that is more specific than I’m allowed to say,” Medcalf said. “We’re giving them all the information they asked for.”
“We have received notification about a complaint made to the Office [for] Civil Rights and we are working with them to provide the information they requested,” William and Mary spokesman Brian Whitson said. “The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act prohibits me from discussing the details of the specific case that led to this, but in general, I can tell you sexual assault response and education is an area we are very focused on. She said the university has conducted campus climate surveys and has taken a variety of steps to educate students about prevention of sexual assault. “We do continuously try to improve these policies and processes,” she said. “It is a big issue on college campuses. College campuses are spending a lot of time and energy and brainpower and effort to try to address this.”
“We continually look at our own practices to determine if they can be improved or enhanced. Since this is a broad review of our policies and practices by OCR, the result may well provide us valuable information as we continue to look at new ways to address an issue that confronts every university in the country.” William and Mary spokesman Brian Whitson said he could not provide details of the case that prompted the federal inquiry.
A message left with a U-Va. spokesman was not immediately returned. Among Maryland schools, Frostburg State University landed on the list. A spokeswoman for that university was not immediately available. “But in general, I can tell you sexual assault response and education is an area we are very focused on,” Whitson said. “We continually look at our own practices to determine if they can be improved or enhanced. Since this is a broad review of our policies and practices by OCR, the result may well provide us valuable information as we continue to look at new ways to address an issue that confronts every university in the country.”
U-Va. said in a statement that it has been working with OCR since summer 2011 on a review of “policies and systems in the area of Title IX/sexual misconduct.” The university noted that it hosted a national conference about sexual misconduct policies in February. “The conference included candid discussion among college and university presidents, students, survivors of sexual misconduct, student affairs professionals, legal and sexual violence experts,” it said.
Ada Meloy, general counsel of the American Council on Education, which represents colleges and universities, said the release of a comprehensive list of schools under investigation appeared to be a first. She echoed the department’s caution about interpreting the list, saying it basically signified “what the level of their workload is in this area at the moment.”Ada Meloy, general counsel of the American Council on Education, which represents colleges and universities, said the release of a comprehensive list of schools under investigation appeared to be a first. She echoed the department’s caution about interpreting the list, saying it basically signified “what the level of their workload is in this area at the moment.”
Meloy added: “Institutions for some time now have been paying more and more attention to this issue. That’s certainly going to continue.”Meloy added: “Institutions for some time now have been paying more and more attention to this issue. That’s certainly going to continue.”
Here is the list of schools under open investigation as of May 1:Here is the list of schools under open investigation as of May 1:
•Arizona State University•Arizona State University
•Butte-Glen Community College District•Butte-Glen Community College District
•Occidental College•Occidental College
•University of California at Berkeley•University of California at Berkeley
•University of Southern California•University of Southern California
•Regis University•Regis University
•University of Colorado at Boulder•University of Colorado at Boulder
•University of Colorado at Denver•University of Colorado at Denver
•University of Denver•University of Denver
•University of Connecticut•University of Connecticut
•Catholic University of America•Catholic University of America
•Florida State University•Florida State University
•Emory University•Emory University
•University of Hawaii at Manoa•University of Hawaii at Manoa
•University of Idaho•University of Idaho
•Knox College•Knox College
•University of Chicago•University of Chicago
•Indiana University-Bloomington•Indiana University-Bloomington
•Vincennes University•Vincennes University
•Amherst College•Amherst College
•Boston University•Boston University
•Emerson College•Emerson College
•Harvard College•Harvard College
•Harvard University Law School•Harvard University Law School
•University of Massachusetts at Amherst•University of Massachusetts at Amherst
•Frostburg State University•Frostburg State University
•Michigan State University•Michigan State University
•University of Michigan at Ann Arbor•University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
•Guilford College•Guilford College
•University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill•University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
•Minot State University•Minot State University
•Dartmouth College•Dartmouth College
•Princeton University•Princeton University
•CUNY Hunter College•CUNY Hunter College
•Hobart and William Smith Colleges•Hobart and William Smith Colleges
•Sarah Lawrence College•Sarah Lawrence College
•SUNY at Binghamton•SUNY at Binghamton
•Denison University•Denison University
•Ohio State University•Ohio State University
•Wittenberg University•Wittenberg University
•Oklahoma State University•Oklahoma State University
•Carnegie Mellon University•Carnegie Mellon University
•Franklin and Marshall College•Franklin and Marshall College
•Pennsylvania State University•Pennsylvania State University
•Swarthmore College•Swarthmore College
•Temple University•Temple University
•Vanderbilt University•Vanderbilt University
•Southern Methodist University•Southern Methodist University
•The University of Texas Pan-American•The University of Texas Pan-American
•College of William and Mary•College of William and Mary
•University of Virginia•University of Virginia
•Washington State University•Washington State University
•University of Wisconsin at Whitewater•University of Wisconsin at Whitewater
•Bethany College•Bethany College
•West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine•West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine