AMHERST, Mass. and NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Two notable colleges — Amherst College and Vanderbilt University — are facing allegations that they mishandled sexual assault reports and discouraged victims from reporting the incidents.
Two former Amherst College students, who claim they had been raped at the school, filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Education. The complaints accused Amherst of improper responses, claiming that in one incident, school personnel sent one victim to a psychiatric ward, the Huffington Post reports.
Meanwhile, six current and former Vanderbilt University students filed a complaint with the Education Department stating that the university failed to properly respond to reports of sexual assault and harassment.
In one incident, a Vanderbilt alumni claims she was stalked and harassed by a female student. When she contacted university personnel about the incident, they encouraged her to let the school handle it rather than seek a legal restraining order. The complainant maintains that the university failed to discipline the stalker.
The complaint against Vanderbilt comes in the wake of the rape of an unconscious female student in a dorm in June. Police arrested four Vanderbilt football players on rape charges for the incident.
Both schools have been accused of violating Clery Act and Title IX requirements.
Representatives for both colleges said they have not seen the complaints; however, they had made changes mean to improve how sexual misconduct is handled on campus. For its part, Amherst will add a new Title IX coordinator to its staff in December.
Related Articles:
- Clery Act Fines Increased to $35K Per Violation
- Clery Reporting: Whose Job Is It Anyway?
- Clery Center: Incident Reporting Has Improved but Could Be Better
- Additional Clery Compliance Guidance
- Specific guidelines on emergency notification, emergency response policies and testing.
- Specific guidelines on missing students.
- Specific guidelines on the new fire incident reporting requirements.
- How to Investigate Campus Sexual Assaults
- Preventing and Responding to Campus Sexual Assaults
- How to Comply With the Dept. of Ed’s Title IX Sexual Violence Guidance
- Bystanders: Your Best Weapon Against Sexual Assault
- Stalking on Campus: A Silent Epidemic
- The Federal Campus Sexual Assault Victims’ Bill Of Rights
Dept. of Ed Opens Investigation Into UNC’s Handling of Sexual Assaults
