Notre Dame under Title IX investigation
Over 165 schools are being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education
On February 19th, the FBI opened an investigation concerning possible violations of sexual harassment or violence complaints. It is unsure whether this investigation regards a formal complaint or a compliance review.
Currently four institutions in Indiana are under investigation: Notre Dame, IU Bloomington, Valparaiso University and Vincennes University. The Department of Education will not disclose any case-specific facts.
According to The Chicago Tribune, the Office of Civil Rights previously opened an investigation in 2010 after the death of Elizabeth Seeberg, a Saint Mary’s College student who committed suicide nine days after she reported a Notre Dame football player for committing sexual battery. The accused was not interviewed until five days after Elizabeth’s death.
The goal of a Title IX investigation is “to ensure that the campus is in compliance with federal law, which demands that students are not denied the ability to participate fully in educational and other opportunities due to sex.” This includes the mishandling of sexual assault cases by a university. An investigation, however, does not mean that a school has definitively violated the law.
In May of 2015, St. Joseph County prosecutor Ken Cotter said that students who wish to report a case of sexual harassment or violence should do so to the county’s special victims unit.
The primary contact on campus to report sexual misconduct to is the Deputy Title IX Coordinator, who can be reached at 574-631-7728 or DepTitleIXCoordinator@nd.edu.