Chico State is one of two schools in the California State University system that will be audited on the handling of sexual harassment and sexual violence incidents.
The audit will also include San Diego State, and University of California schools UCLA and UC Berkeley, according to the California State Auditor’s office.
Assembly Member Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) brought the proposal to the Joint Committee on Legislative Audit in August and it was approved unanimously. The audit request is largely a response to a federal complaint filed against UC Berkeley in May, in which students allege that the school did not adequately investigate reported sexual assault incidents, which is a violation of federal law.
Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination in educational institutions receiving federal funds. The audit will be for the period between 2009 and 2013, and will determine if the schools have policies and procedures consistent with existing federal and state laws.
In addition to how complaints are received, investigated and resolved, the auditors will also review efforts to educate students on how to be aware of, and prevent, sexual harassment and violence on and around campus.
Chico State will cooperate with the auditor’s office but is not able to provide any specific details at this time, said Director of Public Affairs Joe Wills.
UC Berkeley was named in the audit proposal as one of the schools to be included. The second University of California and the two California State University schools were chosen by the State Auditor’s office.
No explanation was provided indicating why Chico and San Diego State were chosen.
Ongoing audits are confidential, and no information can be provided on when the audit will occur, what documents will be reviewed and who will be interviewed, said Margarita Fernandez, chief of public affairs for the California State Auditor’s Office.
The estimated released date of the report is April 2014.
Bill Hall can be reached at [email protected] or @thebillhall on Twitter
