University of Iowa focus of second civil rights probe

IOWA CITY - the University of Iowa this week acknowledged the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights is investigating its handling of sexual misconduct allegations involving a student with disabilities. It is the office's second investigation of the UI campus this year.

UI officials in June announced they had received notice of a federal investigation related to the firing of former field hockey coach Tracey Griesbaum, and officials this week acknowledged a second unrelated investigation.

A UI student on April 2 filed a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights alleging the university discriminated against him on the basis of sex and disability and also retaliated against him, according to documents made public this week.

The student, according to the complaint, was involved in the UI's Realizing Education and Career Hopes program, or REACH, a two-year transition and certificate program for students with intellectual, cognitive and learning disabilities.

In the complaint, the student said his roommate - in October or November 2014 - repeatedly engaged in sexual conduct in his presence. The student complained to university officials. He said they failed to respond, subjecting him to a 'sexual hostile environment,” according to the complaint.

The student, in the documents, also alleged discrimination in reference a separate accusation of sexual misconduct made against him in March 2015. Specifically, the student said the university failed to provide modifications to its Title IX grievance procedures to appropriately accommodate his disability when processing the complaint against him.

He accused the university of treating him differently than non-disabled students in its application of interim remedial measures while a complaint was pending against him. And he charged the university with retaliating against him for his 2014 complaint of sexual misconduct.

'Specifically, the university retaliated by removing (the student) from the dorm and restricting him from specific locations on campus, which ultimately did not allow him to participate in the REACH (program),” according to the complaint.

The Office for Civil Rights, as part of its investigation, requested extensive documentation and data from the university, including copies of its discrimination policies, copies of written reports related to the allegations referenced in the complaint, and copies of all other complaints of discrimination filed with the university in the past two academic years.

UI spokeswoman Jeneane Beck said in a statement the university is cooperating with the investigation.

'We welcome the opportunity to reflect on our process,” she said.

But, Beck stressed, the federal office's decision to investigate 'in no way implies that the OCR has made a determination with regard to the merit of the complaint.”

The university does not discuss specific cases as a matter of policy but respects the rights of individuals who want to speak out, she said.

In January, four former UI field hockey players filed a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights after they said the university refused to investigate whether gender played a role in the firing of their former coach, Griesbaum. UI Athletics Director Gary Barta fired her Aug. 4, 2014, after several players complained about being verbally abused by the coach and pressured to play while injured.

The federal complaint alleges the players' Title IX rights were violated because the university investigates complaints of male and female student-athletes differently and holds female coaches to a higher standard.

Griesbaum late last month disclosed plans to file a lawsuit against the university after first filing complaints with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.