You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
Utah State University entered into a settlement agreement with the Department of Justice to resolve an investigation into the university’s handling of sexual assault complaints as required under Title IX, the statute prohibiting gender discrimination at federally funded colleges. The Justice Department said it launched its review in 2017 in response to allegations that the university "failed to respond to numerous reports of serious student-on-student sexual assault."
Under the terms of the agreement, announced last week, the university will update and revise its policies and practices for reporting, investigating and adjudicating allegations of sexual harassment; provide training on sexual harassment and university procedures for students and employees; and conduct climate surveys to learn about students' experiences with sexual harassment and retaliation at the university and their familiarity and comfort with university reporting policies, among other steps.
Utah State said in a press release that the review covered the 2013-17 time period, and noted that the university came under scrutiny for its sexual assault policies in July 2016 after The Salt Lake Tribune published an article about a former Utah State football player accused of raping several students when he was enrolled. The university released a redacted version of the Department of Justice’s letter outlining the findings of its investigation.
"In summary," the letter states, "the Department’s investigation revealed that during the Relevant Period USU did not comply with Title IX and its implementing regulations in key respects, including by failing to investigate and resolve sexual harassment of which it had notice, often leaving the complainant, and the larger community, vulnerable to sexual harassment. As a result, severe sexual harassment, including rapes and other forcible sexual assaults, went unaddressed and students who were subjected to sexual harassment often suffered negative academic, mental health, and social consequences, including withdrawal from their classes or from the University altogether."
“The review found that, during this three-year time period, there were university-wide failures in addressing sexual misconduct,” Utah State president Noelle Cockett said in the press release. “We’ve made sweeping changes since 2016, and this agreement further lays out a series of steps we will take to prevent sexual misconduct and respond to it appropriately when it does occur.”
