U.S. Department of Education Investigating UF Mishandling of Campus Rapes: Politico

Let justice be done for these college women raped and procedures tending to cover it up at colleges from around the Nation, including FSU, UF and UM.

UF under federal Title IX investigation for alleged mishandling report of sexual violence
By JESSICA BAKEMAN 01/26/17 05:34 PM EST
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The University of Florida is now under investigation for possibly mishandling a report of sexual violence.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced on Thursday it has opened an inquiry into whether the Gainesville flagship public university violated Title IX, a landmark law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education.

The case is the result of a confidential complaint filed last Friday.

In a statement, a UF spokeswoman said the school is fully cooperating with the investigation.

“University of Florida is committed to Title IX compliance, including clear standards of student conduct and a fair student conduct process for all students involved,” communications director Margot Winick said.

The federal agency is currently probing hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide for potentially mishandling campus sexual assault, including six schools in Florida.

Florida State University and the University of South Florida, both public institutions, are also subject to federal inquiries, as are the University of Miami and Stetson University, both private schools, and for-profit Full Sail University.

Federal officials have stressed that an active investigation does not mean a college has done anything wrong.

A POLITICO Florida analysis last year found that relatively few of the state’s colleges and universities are under federal Title IX investigations. Also, the state’s higher education institutions report among the lowest rates of on-campus rape in the nation.

The Obama administration aggressively targeted colleges and universities for potentially mishandling reports of sexual violence, but it’s unclear if the Trump administration will continue with the same zeal.

Among the most recent high-profile cases among Florida schools involved FSU and its former quarterback, Jameis Winston, who now plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Last year, FSU settled a Title IX lawsuit brought by a former student, Erica Kinsman, who accused Winston of rape. In addition to the $950,000 settlement, the school agreed to publish annual reports for the next five years about its programs to deter and address campus sexual assault.

In her lawsuit, Kinsman accused university officials of obstructing the sexual assault investigation so Winston could play football for the school.

In announcing the settlement with Kinsman, FSU president John Thrasher said the school wanted “to avoid what was sure to be millions of dollars in additional litigation expense.

Here's a list of active federal investigations: http://politi.co/2j9Cjb9

("List of sexual violence investigations open at the postsecondary level including the dates the specific investigations were initiated. As of January 25, 2017, there are 306 sexual violence cases under investigation at 225 postsecondary institutions")