University of New Mexico, Title IX Violations, New Mexico 2016

New Mexico's flagship university is facing a reckoning over its handling of sexual assault and harassment allegations. The University of New Mexico has agreed to strengthen its procedures and training to protect students from these crimes, following an investigation by the Justice Department.

The agreement, reached after a 16-month investigation, requires the university to provide comprehensive training to students, faculty, and staff on its policies and procedures for addressing sexual assault and harassment. The training must include information on reporting duties, where to go for assistance, and grievance procedures.

UNM has also agreed to revise its policies and procedures to ensure prompt, reliable, impartial, and equitable resolution of sexual harassment and assault allegations. The university must also take prompt and effective steps to eliminate any hostile environment that may arise, prevent its recurrence, and address its effects.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta praised the university's commitment to addressing these issues, saying, 'No student should ever feel afraid or unsafe at school because his or her campus fails to effectively respond to sexual assault and harassment.'

The investigation was conducted jointly by the Civil Rights Division's Educational Opportunities Section and the U.S. Attorney's Office of the District of New Mexico. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt.

The enforcement of Title IV and Title IX, both of which bar sex discrimination by public institutions of higher learning, is a top priority of the Civil Rights Division. For more information about the administration's efforts on prevention and response to sexual assault and harassment on college and university campuses, please visit www.notalone.gov.

The University of New Mexico has fully cooperated with the investigation and has agreed to implement remedial measures to ensure that its students, faculty, and staff understand their reporting options, duties, and obligations with respect to sexual harassment.

Defendant: University of New Mexico, Crime: Title IX Violations, State: New Mexico, Year: 2016. Sentence: Agreement to strengthen procedures and training.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/justice-department-reaches-agreement-university-new-mexico-protect-students-sexual