Princeton University Penalized for Mishandling Sexual Assault Cases

Princeton University must reimburse some tuition to three reported victims of sexual assault because the University violated Title IX in the investigation of assault cases, the Huffington Post reports.

The University allegedly failed to provide a sufficient response to complaints of sexual harassment, and used a higher standard of proof for sexual assault than that recommended by the federal government, according to the report.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights conducted a four-year investigation of the University’s handling of sexual assault cases that concluded with the announcement on Wednesday.

The Department said Princeton allowed the continuation of a hostile environment in at least one case. It did say the University complied with Title IX by by designating and providing notice of its Title IX coordinator and by providing and publicizing compliant notices of nondiscrimination.

The University and the Department entered into a resolution agreement to ensure compliance. This includes the use of the correct federally-suggested standards.

As part of the agreement, the University has agreed to take the following steps:

• To publicize and provide a comprehensive education and prevention program that educates the University community (staff and students) about the school’s policies and procedures regarding sexual assault/violence, as well as the support services and resources available to students;
• To develop and implement a public awareness and bystander intervention campaign aimed at educating students about sexual assault/violence and safe strategies for intervention;
• To conduct annual climate checks with students to assess the steps and measures taken by the university as part of the resolution agreement and use the information to inform future proactive steps to achieve its goal of a campus free of sexual misconduct -- in particular, sexual assault/violence;
• To annually track and report to the Department on the university’s responses and handling of all sexual assault/violence allegations;
• To take steps to improve communication and coordination with local law enforcement agencies, specifically to address the protocols and procedures for referring allegations of sexual assault/violence, sharing information, and conducting contemporaneous investigations;
• To reexamine all complaints filed from academic year 2011-2012 to Sept. 1, 2014, to determine whether each complaint was handled appropriately and take appropriate action to address any problems identified in the manner in which these complaints were handled, including providing appropriate remedies that may still be available for the complainants in these cases, such as counseling or academic adjustments; and
• To provide the students identified in the complaints with remedies relating to the educational and other expenses incurred from the date on which each student first reported alleged sexual assault/violence to the university to the date of resolution.

Additionally, Princeton implemented new consolidated policies and procedures that correct many of the deficiencies identified in the Department’s investigation.

A copy of the resolution letter can be found here, and the agreement is posted here.