Binghamton University is one of over fifty colleges and universities under investigation for its handling of sexual violence and harassment complaints. The U.S. Department of Education announced on Thursday that 55 institutions are being investigated for possible violations to Title IX, which prohibits sexual discrimination in all federally-funded education programs. Officials for BU said they are unable to disclose specifics about the case under investigation. Binghamton University is one of four New York state schools under investigation, with the others being Hunter College, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and Sarah Lawrence College. The investigation of BU is said to have been initiated on December 31st, and Department of Education officials were unable to say whether the investigation began due to a complaint or as part of a compliance review. According to reports, BU reported thirteen on-campus occurrences of forcible criminal sex offenses since 2010, one occurrence of a non-forcible sex offense since 2010, and no off-campus occurrences since 2010. The Department of Education is expected to give more details once the investigation is complete.
