Thirty-one students or former students at the University of California at Berkeley have filed two federal complaints which charge that over the course of many years the university has mishandled allegations of sexual assault filed by women on campus. The complaints were filed with the Department of Education under Title IX and the Clery Act, which requires universities to file crime reports with the federal government. Last May, nine Berkeley students filed a complaint under the Clery Act. That effort has now been expanded with 22 additional women as complainants.
The complaints charge that the university discouraged women from filing sexual assault complaints and failed to inform them of their rights and what steps they could take. They also charged that the university’s disciplinary procedures favored the accused rather than the victims.
Chancellor Nicholas B. Dirks issued a statement announcing that he allocated funds to hire additional staffers to investigate sexual misconduct allegations on campus and to help victims navigate the reporting process. A new website will provide information about preventing, reporting and adjudicating sexual misconduct on campus.
Chancellor Dirks stated, “Sexual assault has no place on a college campus or anywhere in civilized society, and I am fully committed to ensuring that we strengthen and expand our protocols in place, and roll out improvements in a deliberative way. Our focus will be to educate students, faculty and staff about sexual assault resources and bystander intervention; enhance our ability to quickly and effectively handle allegations and reports of sexual misconduct, and amplify our communications and support to survivors of sexual assault.”