COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The federal office that oversees Title IX complaints opened an investigation into how Ohio State University is responding to complaints against former university doctor Richard Strauss.

The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights is investigating whether Ohio State officials "is responding promptly and equitably to complaints and reports by former students, including allegations that employees knew or should have known about the sexual misconduct and allowed the abuse to continue."

The first allegation came in April from former wrestler Mike DiSabato.

DiSabato told cleveland.com's Doug Lesmerises on April 5 he was "encouraged that the university has finally taken steps to investigate the systematic sexual abuse of athletes in multiple sports at the Ohio State University."

At that point, DiSabato had gathered information that led him to claim that athletes in 14 different sports had been victimized by Strauss, who had worked with the university in some capacity for 20 years.

The university sent an email out in May to 112,613 alumni who attended the university from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s asking for information. Strauss committed suicide in 2005.

On July 20, investigators Perkins Coie LLP said more than 100 students gave first-hand accounts against Strauss.

Gates Garrity-Rokous, vice president and chief compliance officer for Ohio State, said in a press release that the university was confident in how they handled the complaints made this year.

"We responded promptly and appropriately to the allegations received in April about Dr. Strauss. We are confident in the independence and thoroughness of the investigation we launched then as well as our ongoing commitment to transparency."

The university has retained Carpenter Lipps & Leland LLP, a Columbus law firm, to handle three lawsuits filed against the university by former students.

One of these, filed by 10 former students in federal court, is on the basis of Title IX violations. The lawsuit claims that OSU officials learned about Richard Strauss' inappropriate conduct as early as his first year of employment in 1978. Read more about that lawsuit.