Two days after a White House task force promised greater transparency in regards to how sexual assault is reported and handled on American campuses, the Department of Education released a list of 55 universities and colleges under investigation for their handling of sexual assault claims.
The Ohio State University made the list.
The full list, which can be found here, features schools ranging from Michigan, Michigan State and Florida State to Denison, Wittenberg and Harvard.
Title IX prohibits schools receiving federal funds from gender discrimination. Schools that violate this law risk losing said federal funds.
Gary Lewis, senior director of media and public relations at Ohio State, released the following statement to 97.1 The Fan's Lori Schmidt.
Over the past several years, Ohio State has been partnering with the Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights (OCR) on a proactive review of the University's Title IX policies and procedures for combatting student sexual violence and harassment. Throughout that process, which is now winding down, OCR has consistently told us that Ohio State has impressive protocols and resources for combatting sexual harassment, that no major concerns or findings have been identified, and that our protocols could serve as a model for other schools around the country.
These proactive efforts are different from complaint-driven investigations included on the list, as Ohio State is not under investigation for any Title IX complaints about sexual harassment or assault. We have been grateful for our collaboration with the Department and we will vigorously continue work on our shared goal of ensuring a safe and healthy campus climate for our students and for all members of the University community. The Ohio State University unequivocally shares the Department of Education's interest in protecting our students from sexual harassment and assault and upholding the vitally important aims of Title IX.
Finally, if it will provide more clarity, please see Ohio State's Title IX policies and protocols, at our Title IX website at http://titleix.osu.edu.
