Princeton Mishandled Sexual Misconduct and Discrimination Cases, U.S. Inquiry Finds

NY Times    A federal investigation into Princeton University’s sexual misconduct and discrimination policies has found that the university violated the law and failed to respond quickly and fairly to students’ complaints.

The Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights found that Princeton had not met the standards set forth in Title IX, the 1972 statute mandating gender equality in educational settings. The finding released on Wednesday said that Princeton’s failure “to provide a prompt and equitable response” to allegations of sexual misconduct allowed, in one student’s case, “for the continuation of a hostile environment that limited and denied her access to the education opportunities at the university.”

At the beginning of September, Princeton announced significant changes to the way it would handle sexual misconduct complaints, including lowering the burden of proof they would have to meet. Those changes were intended to bring the university into compliance with federal standards. A resolution agreement that accompanied Wednesday’s finding formalizes what the Office of Civil Rights described as “ongoing and proactive efforts to enhance the effectiveness” of Princeton’s procedures. Putting those changes into effect, the finding said, “will resolve the university’s noncompliance.” [...]