Last month two students at Swarthmore College, the highly rated liberal arts institution in Pennsylvania, filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education. The complaint alleged that the college underreports instants of sexual misconduct and discourages victims from reporting incidents to authorities.
Now Rebecca Chopp, president of Swarthmore College, has announced that the college has contracted with Margolis, Healy & Associates, a firm specializing in campus security issues, to conduct a review of Swarthmore’s policies and procedures concerning incidents of sexual misconduct. The review will include all practices and procedures and make recommendations on how to prevent sexual misconduct and to provide support for victims of rape, sexual assault, and other sexual misconduct.
“We have been working hard to improve our response to sexual assault in the last several years, and this review will help us further prevent sexual misconduct in our community and, when needed, help us better support survivors,” said President Chopp. “The review will enable us to create a culture of safety, respect, support, and due process.”