55 Colleges Under Title IX Investigation for Mishandling Cases of Sexual Assault
Last Thursday, The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released a statement with the names of 55 colleges and universities that are currently facing Title IX investigation. This is the first time the Department of Education has publicly released a statement on such matters:
“We are making this list available in an effort to bring more transparency to our enforcement work and to foster better public awareness of civil rights. We hope this increased transparency will spur community dialogue about this important issue,” stated Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon.
Among the schools under Title IX investigation are University of California-Berkeley, University of Southern California, Boston University, Harvard College, University of Chicago, Dartmouth College and Princeton University.
But, what is “Title IX?”
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Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities which receive Federal financial assistance. Title IX states that: No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. The United States Department of Education (ED) maintains an Office for Civil Rights, with 12 enforcement offices throughout the nation and a headquarters office in Washington, D.C., to enforce Title IX. |
The U.S. Department of Education’s statement also clarified that the object of investigation is to ensure colleges are in compliance with the federal law.
It should be noted that Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Catherine E. Lhamon, added:
“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.”
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights also reported that, after the investigation is completed, “case specific facts” will not be revealed unless requested; “When an investigation concludes, the Department will disclose, upon request, whether OCR has entered into a resolution agreement to address compliance concerns at a particular campus or found insufficient evidence of a Title IX violation there.”
To read the full statement, with the complete list of colleges under investigation, go to:
Title IX
