RALEIGH N.C. — The U.S. Department of Education will investigate a complaint filed by five women about how the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill handles sexual assault cases, according to a letter released by the women Wednesday.
The department’s Office for Civil Rights said in a March 1 letter that it has opened an investigation because it’s determined that the office has jurisdiction and the complaint was filed in a timely manner. The letter advises that the investigation is not an indication that the OCR has determined the complaint has merit.
The letter said the complaint alleges four violations by the university, including that it didn’t respond appropriately to concerns about sexual assault and didn’t provide impartial investigations of sexual assault.
The complaint was brought by three students, a former student and a former assistant dean of students, all women, in January.
Among those who filed the complaint is junior Andrea Pino, 21. She said Wednesday that she’s pleased the OCR will investigate because she and the others devoted so much time working on the complaint.
“I think it says a lot about the severity of our complaint,” she said. “The contents of our complaint and the thorough research we put into everything carries a lot of weight. The students have made it clear that they have every intention of following through.”
Pino has said the complaint includes reports from about 60 unidentified students who say they were victims of sexual assault at UNC. In addition to Pino, the other main complainants are sophomore Landen Gambill, former student Annie Clark, an unidentified student and Melinda Manning, former assistant dean of students.
