End Rape On Campus (EROC) has recently assisted in filing federal Title IX complaints against Mercer University in Macon, GA, University of Maryland, College Park.
Mercer University is currently under federal investigation for violating Title IX due to a complaint a survivor of sexual assault filed with the assistance of EROC. The allegations in the complaint, include, but are not limited to the following: failure to promptly investigate and address complaints of harassment and stalking; failure to provide adequate resources, including mental health services and academic support to survivors of violence who request them; failure to provide students with information about the school’s policy and procedures; and retaliation against survivors of sexual assault who report crimes committed against them. On August 5, 2016, the individual who filed the complaint received notice that the case against Mercer would be investigated by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
University of Maryland at College Park is already under investigation for the violation of Title IX. Two additional survivors of sexual violence have come forward to file another federal complaint against their institution with EROC’s assistance. This complaint, submitted to the Office for Civil Rights in September 2016, alleges drawn out investigations well exceeding the recommended 60 day time frame for an investigation, lack of no-contact order enforcement, and a disregard to the hostile environment survivors face on campus.
The allegations in the complaints filed against both of these institutions are similar not only to each other, but illustrate a broader pattern of how survivors of sexual violence are treated nationally.
The Department of Education has opened 338 investigations at colleges or universities for possibly violating Title IX and/or mishandling reports of sexual violence. Currently, there are 282 open investigations. End Rape on Campus has filed over eighty complaints since 2013 on behalf of more than 180 complainants, and approximately half of those complaints are currently under investigation.
Please direct any press inquiries to info@endrapeoncampus.org.
End Rape on Campus (EROC) is a national survivor-led nonprofit dedicated to ending gender based violence on college campuses through survivor support, prevention through education, and policy advocacy. You can learn more at www.endrapeoncampus.org.
***
Yesterday, End Rape on Campus (EROC) released a press release stating that a complaint we assisted in filing had led to an investigation regarding Mercer University’s handling of reports of sexual assault. Mercer University is currently under federal investigation for the violation of Title IX for the alleged mishandling of reports of stalking and sexual harassment. The complaint we assisted in filing did not lead to an investigation of the mishandling of a report of sexual assault, as was noted in our press release, but rather an investigation into the mishandling of reports of stalking and sexual harassment.
On May 22, 2016, with the help of EROC, an individual filed a Title IX complaint against Mercer with the US Department of Education’s Office For Civil Rights (OCR). On August 5, 2016, the individual who filed the complaint received notice that the case against Mercer would be investigated.
OCR is a neutral fact finder and will investigate three separate legal issues explained in the complaint, including, but not limited to sexual harassment/stalking, Title IX policy and procedures, and retaliation.
We apologize for any confusion.
End Rape on Campus (EROC) is a national survivor-led nonprofit dedicated to ending gender based violence on college campuses through survivor support, prevention through education, and policy advocacy. You can learn more at www.endrapeoncampus.org.
