Department of Education Says Yale Underreported Sex-Related Criminal Offenses

The Department of Education has determined that Yale University failed to report a number of sex crimes that occurred on campus during the 2001-06 period. Colleges and universities are required to report crime statistics to the federal government under the Clery Act.

According to the DOE report, Yale did not include offenses reported to the university’s Sexual Harassment Grievance Board in its Clery reporting statistics. The DOE also stated that sexual offenses reported to officials at Yale’s 12 residential colleges may not have been included in the crime statistics filed with the federal government.

Yale University could face fines or a loss of federal funding. But the university points out that long ago it took steps to comply with the federal regulations and it would serve no purpose to punish the university for violations that occurred many years ago.

The report on Yale’s underreporting of sexual criminal offenses is an added headache for the university as it comes on the heels of another investigation of a complaint filed by Yale students that a sexually hostile environment exists on the New Haven campus. The allegations in the complaint stated that members of a Yale fraternity marched through campus chanting derogatory slogans targeting women.