ABSTRACT
The “Dear Colleague” Letter by the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) in 2011 to institutions of higher education calling for more effective and efficient handling of allegations of sexual misconduct sent shock waves through institutions of higher education in America, as many had to acknowledge they were nowhere near on par with where they should have been, and felt unprepared to meet even the basic requirements within a reasonable time frame. Financial constraints, lack of intellectual capital, and an overall ignorance to these new mandates contributed to institutional paralysis across most college campuses. Over five years later, the U.S. Department of Education has sent out several more guiding documents, has initiated investigations against hundreds of institutions, and, likewise, has resolved many complaints via resolution agreements for those institutions found to not be in compliance with federal mandates.
