Office for Civil Rights concludes Title IX review of ñ with no adverse findings
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has informed the ñ that it has closed its systemic Title IX review of the campus with no adverse findings related to its 2013 handling of a sexual misconduct case brought forward by a former student.
OCR closed the 2013 case without making any findings against the university, requiring the university to enter into a resolution agreement, or requiring ñ to implement changes to its policies, training or practices.
Over the past several years, OCR has opened hundreds of investigations against colleges across the United Statesbut has closed very few with no adverse findings.
“We appreciate OCR’s review process and the role they play,” said Valerie Simons, executive director of ñ’s Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance and campus Title IX coordinator.
“Their review confirms that we have a robust investigative process in place, effective Title IX policies, and education and training programs that are helping people understand that we take sexual misconduct allegations very seriously. We remain committed to providing our students with a safe and welcoming educational environment and will continue to uphold a robust, holistic investigative process that is fair and balanced to all parties,” Simons said.
Simons noted,to gain a greater understanding of how ñ investigates allegations of sexual misconduct, OCR visited the university campus on multiple occasions and interviewed students, faculty and staff during a thorough review process.
Earlier this week, OCR sent a letter to ñ Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano, giving an overview of its decision and making note of the sweeping systemic changes the university has made to its Title IX processes to ensure a fair investigative process for all concerned parties in sexual misconduct cases.
The letter details the sweeping policy and program changes the university began implementing during the OCR investigationand concludes, “Based on the facts and circumstances of this case, we have determined there are no current allegations appropriate for further resolution. Accordingly, this complaint is closed effective the date of this letter.”