The Department of Education is cracking down on the handling of sexual abuse claims at colleges and universities across the nation.
On Thursday, with the release of 55 schools, the Education Department ensured a thorough Title IX investigation into the increase of the transparency of sexual assault in higher education. Also, looking ahead, the department will keep an updated list of these schools facing investigations and have it available to go over at any time upon request.
Some of the names on this extensive list may schock some, with Harvard, Princeton, USC and Ohio State making the list. Although investigations at these schools has been ongoing, thie list marks the first time the schools names have been made public for students and others.
The creation of this list came only two days after the promise from the White House task force to increase the transparency of their actions in the fight to stop sexual assault at colleges and universities. The task force hopes that by increasing the transparency in their actions, the community will become more involved in bringing about sexual assault awareness initiatives and questions about sexual assault case handlings to their own friends and family.
As a rise in the use of Title IX as a prosecution effort against schools, in which girls are asserting failure of proper protection, Title IX is now being used as a regulation of institution’s handling of sexual violence cases. Since Title IX protects gender discrimination in schools receiving federal funds, this is the most fitting solution to increasing the transparency of the handling of school’s sexual assault investigations by the WH task force.
A 2007 study commissioned by the National Institute of Justice found that nearly one in five women and one in 16 men are the victims of a rape case while in college. The instigation into the exploration of the different colleges’ handling of these cases have been spurred by a multitude of filed complaints in the past view years. Since March 19th alone, a 17% increase in the number of investigations at colleges and universities has been seen.
With these investigations and the transparency of the federal government in these, a change will hopefully be instigated across the nation into the handling of college sexual assault cases. Finally, these schools that have been charged of mishandling cases in attempt to cover themselves up will be forced to unveil their discrepancies for all to see.
A group of 39 members of Congress in January argued in a letter to the Department of Education, “It is currently difficult for students and parents to find the information they need to make the informed decisions about the safety of the colleges and universities they plan to attend.” They hope that with the creation of this list the students will be able to find the accountability they need when making their college decisions.
While the department has noted that although a school is under the investigations of mishandling, a violation may not have occurred, as investigations are prompted as a response to a complaint or as a proactive measure to start a compliance review. This does not leave the schools on the list without an impression of mishandling until they are found innocent of the claims against them.
As an Notre Dame kid, I am proud to say that Notre Dame did not appear on this list of schools under investigation, as we have the guidance in place already looking to stop sexual violence on our campus. With our own increased awareness and movements toward stopping sexual assaults and the appropriate handlings of cases, Notre Dame can move forward as an example for the schools on this list on how to properly move into the future of stopping college sexual violence altogether.
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