A group of USC students filed a complaint against the university this past weekend after investigations revealed that the school had been labeling sexual assault crimes under less severe terms.
The university now faces allegations that its administration and security department violated the Clery Act. Under the Clery Act, universities must report all on-campus crimes accurately and in a timely manner. In USC’s case, not only did many incidences of sexual assault remain unresolved months after they occurred, but the school also filed the reports under lesser crimes like “sexual battery” and “domestic dispute,” among others.
These revelations have only added to the barrage of controversy surrounding USC’s handling of sexual assault cases. This June, the U.S. Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights opened an investigation claiming that the university violated Title IX, a federal education law forbidding sexual discrimination. Months prior to the investigation, more than a dozen students had come forward and spoken out against their treatment after reporting sexual crimes to the school police department.
Among the students was a girl named Tucker Reed, who was raped by her ex-boyfriend. Even though the boy confessed that he had raped her in a recording caught by Reed, the university’s police department dismissed her case.
Another girl was told that she wasn’t raped because the assailant didn’t orgasm.
USC’s Department of Public Safety chief John Thomas and vice provost for student affairs Ainsley Carry issued a statement yesterday explaining the school’s actions.
“We make decisions according to the preponderance of the evidence and after a careful review of the facts,” the statement read. “Determinations in sexual assault cases are often complicated. We recognize the trauma suffered by complainants regardless of where the weight of evidence falls.”
If found guilty, the university can be fined up to $35,000 for each Clery Act violation.