Dive Brief:
- A series of complaints filed by students with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights accuse Columbia University and the affiliated Barnard College of mistreating the victims of sexual assault and mishandling their claims.
- In all, 23 students filed three complaints against Columbia and Barnard, The New York Times reported.
- The complaints allege that Columbia administrators illegally told students filing sexual assault claims that they could not discuss their cases with outsiders, and that counseling services provided by the schools have pressured students not to file claims of sexual assault or harassment.
Dive Insight:
The Columbia students who filed the complaints used an unusual strategy, charging Columbia and Barnard with violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, in addition to violations of the Clery Act and the Higher Education Act, which are more commonly referred to in such filings. The rationale for using the ADA is that assault survivors with emotional trauma are affected by the university’s treatment. The complaints also accuse the university and college of assigning incompetent people to handle disciplinary proceedings and showing a bias toward the accused by allowing them more leeway than victims in procedural issues.
