UC Berkeley students file sexual assault handling complaints

Thirty-one current and former University of California, Berkeley students filed two federal complaints Wednesday against the university, alleging it mishandled various sexual assault cases on campus.

The students pushed for formal federal investigation proceedings into possible Title IX violations by the school and alleged the university discourages students from reporting sexual assault cases and favors assailants during investigations. Wednesday’s complaints come amid a wave of attention to the issue of sexual violence.

Title IX, legislation from 1972 that prevents sex discrimination, requires institutions receiving federal assistance to conduct impartial investigations into reports of sexual assault.

Last May, nine of the 31 students filed a separate federal complaint under the Clery Act, which requires colleges to keep and disclose statistics on campus crime. They have since claimed the Department of Education never responded to their original filing and filed two more complaints this week, this time with the cases of 22 more students.

“It is unacceptable that as we wait for the federal government to respond to our complaint, more students are being sexually assaulted, and continue to have their cases dismissed, mishandled and ignored if they choose to report them,” said Sofie Karasek, a UC Berkeley student, at a press conference Wednesday announcing the two complaints. “Neither the Department of Education nor UC Berkeley have made the efforts necessary to address the pervasive culture of sexual violence on our campus.”

In a statement released the day before the press conference, UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas B. Dirks issued an update on the university’s efforts to improve the prevention of and response to sexual assault. These efforts include new positions in both administration and police to specifically deal with cases of sexual assault as well as a website, launching in the spring, to provide resources on how to both prevent and report sexual assault.

Last fall, UC Berkeley created a new advisory committee to review its sexual assault policies.

“We will do what is necessary to create and sustain a culture of prevention and reporting within our community. I also want to be clear that we will hold members of our community accountable for violating campus sexual assault policies,” Dirks said in the statement.

UCLA Undergraduate Students Association Council Student Wellness Commissioner Savannah Badalich said that while there were similarities in the issues that students who attempt to report sexual assault face, she thinks UCLA has been much better in responding to student criticism than has UC Berkeley.

The California State Auditor’s office is currently reviewing the sexual assault policies of UCLA, California State University, Chico and San Diego State University to search for areas for improvement.