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Yale under federal investigation for alleged Title IX violation

From Jordana Ossad, CNN
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Yale is under investigation for claims school policies permitted a "sexually hostile environment"
  • The complaint says the school has an insufficient process for addressing Title IX
  • Yale says it cannot respond to the accusations because it has not yet received the complaint
  • The university says, "Yale takes extremely seriously all allegations of sexual harassment"

(CNN) -- Yale University is under federal investigation after a complaint was filed that claims it's policies have allowed a "sexually hostile environment" to exist on campus, officials said.

The complaint blames the prestigious university for failing to adequately respond to alleged incidents of harassment, U.S. Department of Education spokesman Jim Bradshaw quoted the complaint Friday as saying.

The school is accused of providing an insufficient grievance process for addressing the federal gender-equity law, Title IX, which allegedly resulted in "the denial of equal opportunity to education for numerous university students," he said.

Yale spokesman Thomas Conroy told CNN that the university cannot respond to the accusations because it has not yet received the formal complaint.

"We will respond fully to the investigation, and cooperate with the (Department of Education) Office of Civil Rights," Conroy said.

He added, "Yale takes extremely seriously all allegations of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct, including allegations of a 'hostile environment.'"

The investigation comes on the heels of a controversial YouTube video released in October that revealed chants encouraging rape, allegedly being expressed by Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity's new recruits as they marched through the Yale campus in New Haven, Connecticut.

In a statement by the board of directors of Delta Kappa Epsilon, the international fraternity said it strongly condemns the actions of the Yale chapter and acknowledges that the sentiments expressed were offensive.

The complaint also follows reports of a party in which undergraduate students were allegedly asked to strip naked.