Male students accused of sexual assault on Iowa State University’s campus receive more protections than their female accusers during investigations into the complaints, a former university administrator alleges in a lawsuit filed this month in Polk County District Court.

Robinette Kelley, who was Iowa State’s equal opportunity director and federal Title IX coordinator for more than two years, alleges the university deliberately blocked her efforts to properly investigate sexual assault complaints or revise policies to enforce no-contact orders, remove alleged perpetrators from dorms where their accusers also resided, or provide academic accommodations for accusers.

After Kelley was hired in early 2013, she realized ISU knew it was “not in compliance with Title IX” after she was told 'to be ‘the face’ of equal opportunity on campus …because ISU wanted her to be seen but not heard,” the lawsuit alleges.

When Kelley tried to raise compliance issues with top-level administrators, she was “ignored,” the lawsuit states. Kelley was not allowed to process complaints and was told to “behave in a manner that would permit ISU to avoid its obligations under Title IX,” according to the lawsuit.

Kelley was fired in October 2015. She now is associate vice chancellor for equal opportunity and deputy Title IX coordinator at North Carolina State University.

“Ms. Kelley is bringing this claim to help all universities understand the important role of the Title IX Coordinator in ensuring equality and responses to sexual assault,” Kelley’s attorney, Thomas Newkirk, wrote in an email to the Des Moines Register.

Earlier this year, Newkirk helped win a $6.5 million settlement from the University of Iowa after jurors found school officials engaged in gender discrimination in the removal of a top athletics official.

In a prepared statement released by Iowa State spokesman John McCarroll, the university denied that it “treated Ms. Kelley in any way that was retaliatory, discriminatory, or otherwise illegal.”

In addition, Iowa State “is constantly trying to improve the campus climate to eliminate sexual violence, encourage the reporting of sexual misconduct, and support survivors,” the statement said. “We will continue to work collaboratively across campus and with the community to accomplish these goals.”

Kelley’s lawsuit was filed on Oct. 12, about nine hours after former Iowa State student Emily Black filed a lawsuit alleging that Kelley and Iowa State campus police failed to thoroughly investigate her complaint of a sexual assault or to ensure that she could attend classes in a safe environment.

Black’s lawsuit, also filed in Polk County District Court, alleges that the state of Iowa and Kelley had a responsibility to ensure the student’s personal safety at ISU. The lawsuits were first reported by the Iowa Informer website.

The lawsuits come at a time of heightened debate over the investigation of sexual assaults on campuses across the U.S.

In 2011, the Obama administration sent a letter to campus leaders explaining how to comply with Title IX when they investigated sexual assaults. Title IX allows colleges and university to investigate sexual assault complaints as civil rights violations.

In September, the Trump administration rescinded some of the guidance saying it created a one-sided system.

Kelley, in the lawsuit, said she was supposed to investigate complaints of discrimination, harassment and retaliation on the campus and recommend resolutions to complaints. Kelley alleges the university did little to support her but instead tried to intimidate her and “coerce her into backing down from pursuing meaningful responses to her compliance concerns.”

Requests for historical information about sexual assault and harassment complaints were denied, her lawsuit alleges. Also denied were requests for historical information about sexual assaults tied to fraternities and sororities.

In addition, Kelley alleges in the lawsuit that top university officials made decisions that usurped Kelley’s authority and “negatively” impacted students’ rights under Title IX.

She specifically cited an instance in 2014 in which a female sexual assault victim learned her alleged perpetrator would be housed in a dorm adjacent to where she resided. The student asked that his housing be changed. According to the lawsuit, the dean of students handled the request rather than Kelley, who earlier had determined the male student had nonconsensual sexual activity with his accuser.

The male student was allowed to stay in the dorm, the lawsuit stated.

Kelley, in the lawsuit, asked that Iowa State be required to provide a strategic plan for the Title IX office to review sex discrimination-related policies and procedures and the ability to develop new ones. She also asked that Iowa State be required to allow its Title IX coordinator to act independently from in-house attorneys, administrators and others.

In addition, she asked that Iowa State be required to undergo a historical analysis of sexual assaults and sexual harassment complaints university-wide to determine if any sex-based discrimination is occurring on the campus.

She also asked for monetary damages.