Department of Education launches federal Title IX investigation of Baylor
Baylor University is now under a Federal Title IX investigation after the school’s former Title IX coordinator filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, the Waco Tribunereports.
The department’s Office for Civil Rights launched the investigation Wednesday. Patty Crawford resigned Oct. 3 after spending less than two years as the school’s first full-time Title IX coordinator, during which time multiple players were accused of rape. The accusations led to major upheaval within the university hierarchy, including former president and chancellor Kenneth Starr, and the firing of football coach Art Briles.
“OCR opened the investigation after receiving a complaint from the former Baylor Title IX coordinator,” department spokesperson Dorie Nolt said in a statement. “Consistent with federal privacy statutes, OCR typically does not identify the specific parties, including complainants, involved in our civil rights cases. In this instance, the complainant has given permission for OCR to identify her and has spoken publicly about her complaint.”
Crawford has stated in the past that she lacked the “authority, resources [and] independence” necessary to do her job. She has also said that her work environment deteriorated after she documented the school’s Title IX violations, which came in the interest of “the brand rather than [the] students.”
“Opening a complaint for investigation in no way implies that OCR has made a determination on the merits of the case,” a statement from OCR reads. “Rather, the office is a neutral fact-finder. It will collect and analyze all relevant evidence to develop its findings. As a policy, the Department will not disclose any case-specific facts or details about the institutions under investigation. Once the case has been resolved, OCR will notify the institution, the complainant and public, as appropriate.”
