Yale Being Investigated for Sexually Hostile Environment

In October of last year, a number of Yale fraternity pledges garnered national attention for chanting, “No means yes, yes means anal!” as they marched around campus. The incident, like others before, generated only a mild response from the University’s administration that many found inadequate.

Earlier this month, 16 Yale students filed a Title IX complaint alleging that the University has allowed the development of a “hostile environment” and has taken insufficient action to address sexual harassment incidents on campus.

On March 31, the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR) responded and announced that it has opened an investigation into Yale University’s policies regarding sexual harassment and sexual assault. The students claims that Yale’s decision to form a Grievance Board and recent attempts to encourage dialogue between students have not gone far enough in addressing the “hostile sexual environment on campus.”

Yale already has quite an interesting history with Title IX.  In 1977, the first ever Title IX charges of sexual harassment brought against an educational institution were filed against Yale in the landmark case, Alexandra v. Yale. The case involved several former Yale students who allegedly suffered sexual harassment by members of the Yale faculty, and plaintiffs were represented by by then recent Yale Law School graduate, Catherine MacKinnon.  Although the plaintiffs lost the case, it was instrumental in eventually establishing that sexual harassment could serve as the basis of a Title IX sex discrimination claim. Naomi Wolf has also famously claimed to have suffered sexual harassment during her time as a student there.

There is more extensive background in the Yale Herald, and the complaintants’ original Title IX Complaint press release is available here.

Photo credit Kevin Rosseel, morguefile.com.