Yale University students and alumni recently filed a Title IX violation complaint for their school’s “failure to eliminate a hostile sexual environment on campus.”
Several media outlets are speculating that the reports of misconduct revolve around the misogynistic actions of members of Yale’s fraternity system.
Although the details of the complaint are specific to a subset of Yale’s population, the problems it highlights are ones to which other schools, including Penn, are not immune. The reported incidents are part of an obscene and hurtful culture that often pervades college life.
Regardless of the result of the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights’ investigation on the complaint, Penn and other schools can use the incident as a teachable moment. Now that sexual misconduct has come to the forefront of the national consciousness, the University should use the opportunity to raise awareness of and discuss the issue.
We agree with the sentiment expressed in a statement from Yale about the Title IX investigation: “We share the same goal — to combat sexual misconduct effectively — and we hope the process will strengthen our and other schools’ ability to achieve that goal.”
What are your thoughts on Yale's Title IX investigation? Send us a letter to the editor: letters@theDP.com.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.