CLEVELAND — The Department of Justice has made an agreement with the Case Western Reserve University to resolve a federal investigation into the university's response to sexual discrimination.
According to the DOJ, on Feb. 19, 2021, the department initiated a Title IX investigation into CWRU focused on the 2017-2018 through 2020-2021 school years or the relevant period.
As a part of the investigation conducted jointly by the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, the DOJ reviewed over 40,000 pages of documents provided by the university, conducted more than 40 interviews with administrators, current and former students, and conducted three on-site visits with the University’s Women’s Center, Panhellenic Council, and Interfraternity Council. A community email address and toll-free phone number were also created so that the public could provide relevant information.
The DOJ's investigation concluded that as a recipient of federal financial assistance, the university did not comply with Title IX and its regulations that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities operated by such recipients in several respects, including the University’s response to known student-on-student and employee-on-student sexual harassment and to a well-known climate of sexual harassment in its Greek Life program, according to the department.
In a letter to the university, the DOJ states that "during the Relevant Period, CWRU’s policies required it to investigate all alleged violations of the University’s policies governing sexual harassment and to respond appropriately. Yet, the CWRU investigatory process did not comply with Title IX with respect to various sexual misconduct allegations, which ranged from sexual assault to sex-based stalking, to retaliation for filing a complaint, to rape."
In addition to failing to complete investigations into allegations, the investigation found that CWRU employees did not report sexual harassment complaints to the office tasked with responding to such allegations and providing students with support and resources.
Under the agreement made Tuesday, the university will undertake campus-wide reforms so that students can attend school and participate in Greek life programming free from discrimination including sexual assault, sex-based stalking and retaliation for filing complaints of sex discrimination.
Meanwhile, freshman students were busy moving onto campus Tuesday. Matthew Tai, incoming freshman said, "I’m studying international studies, which is pretty funny because this is an engineering school, and I haven’t met a single person who shares my major.”
First year students weren't aware of the complaints or the investigation on campus, “I think it’s kind of disappointing. I don’t know, it wasn’t the vibe I got from this school when I toured," said Tai.
Forensic nurse Melisa Minier works across Ohio to advocate for and support survivors. Minier said the stigma makes it very tough for college students to come forward in the first place.
“Especially in an institution where they’re coming with a purpose of education, bettering themselves, we should be held at the highest standards in those regards and making sure we let victims know that we hear you," said Minier.
“All students should be able to participate in college life without being subjected to sex discrimination. Far too often, students on our nation’s college and university campuses face stalking, harassment or sexual assault,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “When sex discrimination rears its head, universities must respond appropriately to stop the misconduct and provide support so that the student can safely participate in school activities and complete their educational pursuits. This agreement would not have been possible without the many current and former student survivors who came forward and courageously shared their stories. We hope this agreement sends a message to the higher education community about the actions that must be taken to ensure that campuses are safe for all students.”
According to the DOJ, the university fully cooperated during the investigation and is required to undertake the following reforms:
- Publicizing Title IX policies and protocols and developing user-friendly materials so the CWRU community knows how to report concerns regarding sex discrimination and access resources to address it;
- Delivering comprehensive annual training for all students and employees;
- Implementing new policies, protocols and well-designed trainings to reform the university’s Greek Life programming;
- Providing students who experience sex discrimination with resources to prevent disruptions to their education;
- Funding the women’s center, Office of Greek Life and University Health and Counseling Services, as needed, to support students affected by sex discrimination; and
- Conducting outreach and analyzing trends to strengthen prevention and response to sex discrimination on campus.
The university provided the following statement following the agreement:
CWRU Statement on Agreement With DOJ by Wews WebStaff on Scribd
Individuals with information related to CWRU’s compliance with Title IX are encouraged to contact the Justice Department at 1-866-432-0339. Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations here.
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