Notre Dame Agrees to Alter Procedures on Handling Sexual Assault Allegations

Following a seven-month federal investigation, the University of Notre Dame has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education to change its sexual assault reporting procedures. Under the agreement, the university will file periodic reports with the Education Department and has agreed to complete administrative reviews of all sexual assault complaints within 60 days. And the university agreed to several procedural changes when dealing with sexual assault cases. For example, the university agreed to amend its policies so that the victim would not be required to be in the same room as the accused during disciplinary hearings.

In announcing the agreement, Rev. Thomas Doyle, vice president for student affairs at Notre Dame, stated, “The review has confirmed for us that we have outstanding initiatives in place, while also providing direction for several areas in which we can make modifications for improvement. Sexual misconduct can have no place at Notre Dame, and we are committed to continuing to protect the safety and human dignity of every student.”