IU is on a list of 165 postsecondary institutions that have pending Title IX sexual violence investigations, conducted by the Office of Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education.
According to the document, the Bloomington campus has two current cases. One was opened in March 2014, and the other in June 2015.
The list, updated weekly and available upon request, consists of cases that were either opened due to compliance reviews or outside complaints. The DOE cannot disclose any specific information regarding the IU investigations.
“OCR is a law enforcement agency,” DOE Press Officer Jim Bradshaw said. “And like most law enforcement organizations, it doesn’t discuss the details of ongoing investigations.”
In a 2014 press release, the University said they were complying with the DOE, and the process is a routine that hundreds of institutions go through regularly. Up to that point, the office confirmed it had no standing complaints regarding the Bloomington campus’s procedures on sexual assault.
The investigations involve IU giving data, reports of sexual assault and details of their procedures to the DOE. The department said it then uses its results to guide the University in updating their policies.
The University said the Office of Student Welfare and Title IX takes the findings of the investigation seriously, and they use the results to reform current procedures, as well as begin new initiatives to prevent sexual assault and provide help to survivors.
At IU, the Office of Student Welfare and Title IX works University-wide with multiple offices to meet its goals of investigation, prevention and guidance for sexual assault victims.
“In my role, I work with all campuses on our response and prevention to sexual misconduct, in guiding and coordinating our efforts, and overseeing compliance with Title IX, VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) and IU policy,” said Emily Springston, IU chief student welfare and Title IX officer.
The office practices have come into question since deputy Title IX director Jason Casares was accused of sexual assault.
Casares, who sat on panels to hear sexual assault cases, was put on paid administrative leave after Jill Creighton, a New York University assistant director for global community standards, said he took advantage of her at an Association for Student Conduct Administration conference last December.
IU is currently overseeing the review of the last 18 sexual assault cases Casares participated in.
The DOE cannot disclose case-specific details on what prompted their standing investigations against the University in 2014 and 2015, both prior to the accusations against Casares. However, IU responded to their federal guidance in 2014 by making changes to several procedures, such as removing students from appeals hearings for sexual assault cases.
Springston said the Title IX office uses data from surveys, investigations and their own annual reports to guide the current objectives and improvements of the University regarding sexual assault policy.
“We do take results from reports on our work very seriously,” Springston said. “We are very much focused on supporting students and helping them succeed at IU.”
