and Matthew Albright

The News Journal;

The University of Delaware is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for how it handles sexual violence and harassment complaints.

The Department's Office of Civil Rights would not say exactly what triggered the investigation, but said it is the result of either specific complaints it received or part of a compliance review, a spokesman said. The department is not disclosing any "case-specific facts or details."

The federal agency began last month disclosing names of universities under scrutiny for issues related to sexual violence complaints, identifying 61 schools currently under review. But no other information is provided. The list includes schools under investigation since as early as 2010.

The review of UD's actions began on May 8, and was disclosed as part of the push by the Obama administration to bring more transparency to the federal government's enforcement activities. When the investigations of UD and other universities are completed, the Education Department will disclose, upon request, whether the office entered a resolution agreement with a school or found insufficient evidence of a Title IX violation.

A UD spokeswoman said the school applauds the administration's efforts "to shine a light on one of the most troubling and pervasive problems in higher education today."

Spokeswoman Andrea Boyle said in a statement the university "is committed to preventing and responding appropriately to sexual violence, and we believe this review will strengthen that effort."

Boyle declined to comment further.

Although it's not known if the case is related, the federal investigation follows a lawsuit filed against the university in December under Title IX by a woman who alleged an administrator failed to properly respond to her report of sexual assault by a student athlete. Title IX requires colleges and universities that receive federal funds to investigate claims of sexual assault and provide a timely and impartial grievance procedure to resolve those claims.

All colleges, universities and K-12 schools receiving federal funds must comply with Title IX. Schools that violate the law and refuse to address the problems identified by the Office of Civil Rights can lose federal funding or be referred to the Justice Department for further action.

The unnamed student, who says she contracted an incurable sexually transmitted disease from her attacker, accuses the school of doing nothing to further investigate or protect her from the consequences of the sexual assault, according to a civil lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Delaware.

"I certainly believe that they didn't handle my client's grievances appropriately," said Eric Mitchell, the woman's attorney.

Mitchell said he didn't know if his client's case triggered UD's addition to the list. He said his client did not initiate a complaint through the Education Department.

The university, in its answer to the lawsuit, denied allegations against the school and said the woman indicated to an administrator that the sexual encounter was consensual.

Student activists who have campaigned against sexual assaults on campus say they don't believe UD has greater problems than other universities dealing with sexual assault, but welcome the spotlight on an issue they believe is widespread.

"This is certainly something that needs to be looked at. I would say, overall, this is a problem at every school," said Lauren Manna, a recent UD graduate who was president of Students Acting for Gender Equality. "While we're being investigated, I don't think this is specific to UD. I know there are several professionals I've worked with on campus who are really active and know what's going on."

Still, Manna, whose group organizes events aimed at fighting assaults on campus like "Take Back the Night," said she hopes the investigation spurs more discussion about the issue.

"A lot of people avoid talking about this. It's sensitive. It's uncomfortable. And I think a lot of people think, 'Well this doesn't apply to me,' " she said. "But in reality, we know that this is a widespread problem."

Eric Merlino, interim executive director of Contact Lifeline, a Delaware crisis hot line for victims of sexual abuse, said he does not know the specifics of the UD investigation, but welcomes the attention to the issue.

"It's timely and it's necessary," Merlino said. "Universities, speaking generally, have been a really problematic area for sexual assault."

Merlino said his group participated in a "listening session" with Obama administration officials at the beginning of the year. One issue that arose, he said, was many administrators find different rules for reporting and addressing sexual assaults and also find those rules sometimes clash with privacy rules.

"By putting all this out there, I think students can feel more comfortable bringing this up," Merlino said. "Also, it's an opportunity for male students in particular to take the lead in supporting female students."

Federal officials say they are naming the schools to stir discussion about how colleges and universities address sexual assaults.

Reporters Brian Tumulty of The News Journal's Washington Bureau, Aamer Madhani and Rachel Axon of USA TODAY and Nichole Dobo contributed to this report.

Contact Nicole Gaudiano at ngaudiano@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ngaudiano.

61: Number of schools under review by the U.S. Department of Education

May 8: Start of investigation at UD. Some schools have been under investigation since 2010.

Title IX: The code requires colleges and universities that receive federal funds to investigate claims of sexual assault and provide a timely and impartial grievance procedure to resolve those claims.