The U.S. Department of Education has announced that it has reached an agreement with the State University of New York system to ensure that the 29 campuses in the system respond promptly and effectively to allegations of sexual assault and harassment. The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights had initiated an investigation of the SUNY system that found that the number of instances of sexual assault and harassment was sufficient to create a sexually hostile environment. The investigation also found that investigating and reporting procedures were inadequate.
SUNY has already instituted a number of actions to improve the climate on its campuses and voluntarily agreed to a comprehensive resolution outlining additional actions. A designated Title IX coordinator will be appointed on each of SUNY’s 29 campuses and the university has pledged to investigate allegations of sexual assault and harassment promptly regardless of whether law enforcement authorities are also investigating a particular incident. The university also agreed to initiate education programs so that staff and students are aware of Title IX provisions regarding sexual discrimination and how to report incidents when they occur.