Meghan Holden

mholden@jconline.com

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has opened a Title IX investigation at Purdue University.

Details are still unclear about the complaint that sparked the investigation that began Aug. 5. But a statement from Purdue — which included quotes from the federal office — mentioned concerns about the university's responses to sexual violence.

Alysa Christmas Rollock, vice president for ethics and compliance and Title IX coordinator, released the following statement Monday:

"The Department of Education Office for Civil Rights has notified Purdue University that it is beginning an investigation of a complaint that 'in the 2015-2016 academic year, the University subjected a female undergraduate student ... to discrimination based on sex,' raising the question of 'whether the University fails to promptly and equitably respond to complaints, reports and/or incidents of sexual violence of which it had notice.'"

At the same time, a Title IX investigation also opened Aug. 5 at Hanover College in southern Indiana, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education's Title IX database.

The Office for Civil Rights doesn't disclose information about open investigations.

"We are confident in the policies and procedures we have in place to address difficult matters such as this," Rollock wrote in the statement. "While federal law and privacy rules prevent us from discussing the specifics of any case, we believe the Department of Education review will confirm the effectiveness of our program and conclude that Purdue University acted appropriately in this particular matter."

Contact J&C higher education reporter Meghan Holden at mholden@jconline.com. Follow her on Twitter: @MeghanHolden.

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