Marquette University is under a federal Title IX investigation for possible mishandling of a sexual harassment case that did not include sexual assault, the university confirmed Wednesday.
“Marquette is working with the Office for Civil Rights regarding concerns raised by a former female student who reported she was harassed by a former male student,” University Spokesman Brian Dorrington said in a statement. “As is our standard protocol with any harassment report, the university immediately contacted the Milwaukee Police Department.”
Marquette is one of 31 other schools under investigation for sexual harassment. It is the only Wisconsin school on the list. The University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Wisconsin-Whitewater are on a different list of colleges under Title IX investigations for sexual assault and harassment.
“We are fully cooperating with the OCR, which has reviewed more than 300 educational institutions for harassment allegations across the country over the past two years,” Dorrington said in the statement.
The Huffington Post obtained the list of schools under Title IX reviews through a Freedom of Information Act request.
“Intervening in relationships between students is one of the most sensitive issues a university can face,” Dorrington said in the statement. “Our guiding principle is to always do everything we possibly can to keep our students safe.”
The Office for Civil Rights, under the U.S. Department of Education, is what handles Title IX investigations.
“Marquette has worked extensively to educate our students and the entire campus community about the risks and harm that acts of harassment can have on campus,” Dorrington said in the statement. “This includes mandatory training of our undergraduate students as well as faculty, staff and student employees.”