<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3aL5gA_1Gv9Xg2C00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3aL5gA_1Gv9Xg2C00" width="1000" height="1250" ><figcaption>Photo by Ayla Wize / The Mirror</figcaption></figure>How do you receive justice when nobody delivers it to you? If nobody speaks to you? If nobody informs you? What do you do after a multi-year long investigation leaves you with nothing?Conversations concerning university responsibility for delivering justice to victims of sexual assault are front and center following the Cornell Chi Phi assault case, and have inspired victims of sexual assault to share their stories online. At the University of Northern Colorado, conversations surrounding justice lead back to the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance, where communication leaves much to be desired. Students can report assault to the OIEC office, which can result in a Title IX investigation. Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination, including sexual assault. OIEC reviews reports and determines whether they are counted as misconduct according to UNC’s policies handbook, such as all non-consensual sexual contact, abuse and stalking. OIEC then contacts the impacted individuals and explains their options, including investigations and supportive measures.OIEC coordinator and equity officer Jimmy Kohles said the office typically contacts impacted individuals within 48 hours. Investigations are generally expected to be completed within 90 days. “We have an obligation under state law to complete investigations within 90 days,” said Kohles. “We have some, we have a lot of cases that are a lot less than that.”Title IX officials must notify UNC police of cases, but police involvement is up to victims. “We'll work with impacted parties to try and get information to law enforcement,” Kohles said. “But if they're not interested in pursuing law enforcement, then we're not going to force them to do anything …”Police investigations differ immensely from university investigations. Police investigations are under no time constraint, and typically take longer than OIEC proceedings. Although the length of investigations vary, law enforcement typically has broader access and ability to collect evidence compared to universities.University investigations do not equate to legal consequences. At the end of an investigation with Title IX, a decision of “found responsible” or “not found responsible” for “violating student policy” is reached, and the consequences are often strictly academic. No-contact orders, suspensions and expulsions are common forms of punishment, and this does not mean that the person found responsible will face legal issues after the case is closed.Kohles mentioned that there is no statute of limitations to the reports and that victims should receive at least three outreach attempts from the office. Following the Cornell Chi Phi case, victims across the nation were inspired to come forward about their experiences with sexual assault. Students took to social media to share their voice, including students at UNC. One post made by a UNC alumni even garnered over 30,000 likes, 4,000 reposts and 2,000 shares on Instagram. Students were frustrated. Frustrated with the pain of their assaults and with their experiences with the Title IX office. Two former UNC students, Ashleigh Eggers and Kandace Russell, are disappointed about their experience with the Title IX office. Their case began in May 2023, when Eggers made an initial incident report to the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance. What followed was an investigative process that spanned nearly two years. Throughout the investigation, the two students reported that they dealt with many delays and improper communication from the office. Russell said that there were long stretches of time where there was no communication to her from the office. “They ended up interviewing my witnesses, you know, my friends that were there that night. And then I just didn't hear from them for a whole year,” Russell said. “I reached out several times throughout the course of that. Absolutely no response.” Russell was interviewed by the original case investigator in September 2023, and did not receive further contact until August 2024. In August Eggers rejoined the case, after previously closing hers. During this time, the case was assigned a different investigator to be completed. This would not be the last time the case changed hands. “Eventually, they gave us a live hearing and they also told us that they were going to hand our case over again to an outside company called ‘Grand River Solutions,’” Russell said. Grand River Solutions is an educational and workplace compliance and consulting firm that handles cases concerning harassment and discrimination. It does not have any independent legal or police power. “I can't talk about specifics,” said Kohles. “But it's really common in the field to utilize external investigators for a number of different reasons.”According to the GRS website, institutions may utilize the company if there are staffing shortages, conflicts of interest or a want for legal and procedural experts to ensure that cases are being handled in accordance with state regulations. For Eggers and Russell, they were blindsided by their case bouncing around from person-to-person, and now that their case was being given to an outside company to deal with, it only contributed to the students' disappointment with the office. “We just felt like handed off from person to person, you know?” Russell said. “And when you're already in a really vulnerable position and you're having to tell a story that you're not necessarily even feeling ready to tell to all … It's just not a great position to be in.”The timeliness of the communication was not the only issue they seemed to have. Prior to the hearing the students were told they would be allowed an advisor to join them. It was not until later that they found out the accused party in the investigation was utilizing an attorney. “We weren't told to go through that legal process. We were told it was only going to be through the school. And yet he was allowed to have his own third-party attorney come in, defend his side of it,” Eggers said. The length of the case and the lack of communication left Russell and Eggers feeling unsupported. “I feel like it was just like a total lack of communication to us in general … The fact that this case was spread out over two years was crazy. Like, I know these things take time, but two years from start to finish is just crazy to me …” Eggers said. “Ash’ and I, going into this, definitely had no idea we were going to spend two years of our lives reliving trauma over and over and over again.” Sexual assault and harrassment are traumatizing experiences and can change the lives of anyone who goes through them. For universities, providing adequate student support is a must. Previous instances of confusing processes and lack of communication are factors that students feel UNC, and schools across the nation, need to learn from. “I just hope that UNC learns, I hope that students, you know, not only there, but everywhere are better protected,” Russell said. </div></body>

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How do you receive justice when nobody delivers it to you? If nobody speaks to you? If nobody informs you? What do you do after a multi-year long investigation leaves you with nothing?. Conversations concerning university responsibility for delivering justice to victims of sexual assault are front and center following...

Students Speak Out about Frustrations with Title 9

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How do you receive justice when nobody delivers it to you? If nobody speaks to you? If nobody informs you? What do you do after a multi-year long investiga

Students Speak Out about Frustrations with Title 9

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