Reuters: U.S.: U.S. Education Department probing University of Montana rape reports

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U.S. Education Department probing University of Montana rape reports May 23rd 2012, 23:38 By Laura Zuckerman Wed May 23, 2012 7:38pm EDT (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Education is investigating whether the University of Montana responded promptly and appropriately to at least 11 reported rapes and sexual assaults at its Missoula campus since 2010, a spokesman for the agency said on Wednesday. The investigation coincides with the opening on May 1 of a probe by the federal Department of Justice into complaints the university, Missoula police and a local prosecutor had failed to aggressively investigate more than 80 rapes reported in the city over the past three years. Like the Justice Department probe, the investigation by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights will seek to determine if gender discrimination was at issue in the university's handling of the 11 student-related sex assault on the campus since 2010, an Education Department spokesman said. At least three of those cases involved rape accusations, including an alleged gang rape, against members of the university's champion football team, the Montana Grizzlies But just one of the 11 sexual assaults reported on campus has so far resulted in criminal charges. In that case, Grizzlies' running back Beau Donaldson is accused of raping a woman at his residence while she slept. Donaldson has pleaded not guilty and has been suspended from the team. In March, University President Royce Engstrom did not renew employment contracts for the school's athletic director and the head football coach. Engstrom said at a news conference in he felt the university had taken "prompt and effective actions" regarding sexual assaults. But, he said: "There's room to learn to be more effective at preventing and dealing with it when it happens in our community." The accusations have shaken Missoula, a city of 86,000 whose identity and economy are intertwined with the university and its storied football program. At a news conference earlier this month, university and Missoula officials pledged cooperation with the Department of Justice investigation. Engstrom told reporters the university had taken "prompt and effective actions" regarding sexual assaults. But, he said: "There's room to learn to be more effective at preventing and dealing with it when it happens in our community." University of Montana officials did not immediately respond to request for comment on Wednesday on the Department of Education investigation. According to the Education Department spokesman, the agency's civil rights office will assess whether the university has complied with Title IX, which bans sex discrimination in any education program or activity that receives federal funding. The investigation will evaluate if the university's policies and procedures prohibit sexual harassment, sexual violence and a hostile environment and whether the university "responded promptly and appropriately to complaints," the spokesman said. (Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Philip Barbara) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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