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These four United Methodist-related universities appear on a U.S. Department of Education list of 55 schools nationwide being investigated for possible civil rights violations regarding complaints of sexual harassment or sexual violence.
A United Methodist Insight Exclusive
Updated May 3, 2014 with Boston University's reply. As of May 3, Emory University hadn't responded to United Methodist Insight's request for comment.
Four United Methodist-related colleges are among 55 higher education institutions nationwide that are being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education for "possible violations of federal law over the handling of sexual violence and harassment complaints" under Title IX, according to a release from the federal agency.
News of the investigations by the department's Office of Civil Rights was disclosed two days after the White House issued new guidelines for colleges to protect students against sexual harassment and assault. According to federal statistics, 1 in 5 female college students is assaulted sexually each year.
The United Methodist-related schools under federal investigation are Boston University in Massachusetts, University of Denver in Colorado, Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, and Emory University in Atlanta. The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry lists all four schools among those officially affiliated with The United Methodist Church. United Methodist Insight contacted all four universities and the general board regarding the federal investigations.
The Rev. Gerald D. Lord, associate general secretary of GBHEM's Division of Higher Education, said that his agency couldn't comment specifically on any ongoing investigations.
"We have confidence that all educational institutions related to The United Methodist Church maintain the highest moral and ethical standards in their campus life and in their institutional processes and procedures," Dr. Lord stated. "We believe that they all seek justice and fairness for all of their students, faculty, and staff."
Boston University's response was received on May 3 from spokesman Colin Riley:
"OCR is investigating a single complaint against the University that was filed in October 2013. While we believe the University provided the student with a prompt and equitable resolution of the complaint in full accordance with the requirements of Title IX, we are cooperating fully with OCR in its investigation and are always open to improving the manner in which we respond to any complaint of sexual misconduct reported to us."
Through a spokesman, University of Denver denied being under current investigation for Title IX violations by the Department of Educations' Office of Civil Rights. Will Jones, DU's external communications director, issued a statement saying the university had responded to an earlier complaint and was awaiting a response from the education agency.
"If a member of the campus community does not agree with the outcome of an investigation, that person has the right to share those concerns with the Office of Civil Rights (OCR)," Jones stated. "Such cases remain open until the OCR makes a final determination on the outcome. The situation just described is the reason for the University of Denver’s inclusion on the list of 55 institutions that have an open investigation with the OCR involving sexual violence.
“We are confident that we handle all instances fairly, appropriately and accurately. One member of the campus community did not agree with the outcome of an investigation and exerted their right to file a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights. The University responded to the OCR more than four months ago and is awaiting OCR’s determination,” Jones said.
According to its media release, ten years ago the University of Denver revised its procedures for dealing with with sexual harassment and violence on and off campus, developing a zero tolerance policy.
"The University takes each claim seriously and works to ensure that all claims involving Title IX or similar laws are handled fairly, judicially and expeditiously," the release said. "The University of Denver follows the guidelines of the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights for incidents of sexual assault and provides for the prompt and equitable resolution of sexual discrimination complaints."
Patricia LaSalle, associate vice president and executive director of public affairs for Southern Methodist University, also responded with an official statement:
"SMU applauds the U.S. Department of Education’s efforts to eradicate sexual violence on college campuses and to provide universities with additional tools to combat sexual assault. Our goals are the same," the release stated.
"The matters under review by the Education Department have been investigated by SMU and predate our University task force review of sexual misconduct policies and procedures. The University has been aggressive in putting into practice wide-ranging new procedures to inform and protect our students, to provide prompt and effective resolution of complaints, and to hold violators accountable while treating all students fairly."
The SMU statement stressed that the university "continually reviews and updates its programs in comparison with national benchmarks, and we are pleased that the White House also has made these matters a priority for all American universities. No issue is more important than the health and safety of our students."
According to the U.S. Department of Education press release, the May 1 publication of the investigation list is "the first comprehensive look at which campuses are under review by OCR for possible violations of the law's requirements around sexual violence.
"We are making this list available in an effort to bring more transparency to our enforcement work and to foster better public awareness of civil rights," Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon said in the press release. "We hope this increased transparency will spur community dialogue about this important issue. I also want to make it clear that a college or university's appearance on this list and being the subject of a Title IX investigation in no way indicates at this stage that the college or university is violating or has violated the law."
The Department of Education media release stated that a Title IX investigation is intended tomake sure that students aren't denied participation in educational and other campus activities on account of their sex. The federal agency wouldn't disclose case-specific facts of any investigations, but said it would update its list upon resolution of the complaints. Public inquiries about the list should be sent to the Office of Civil Rights.
Cynthia B. Astle is project coordinator for United Methodist Insight.