On the campus of Tufts University on Thursday afternoon, students and others rallied to urge administrators to sign an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education to change policies related to sexual assault.
The Education Department announced on Monday that Tufts had failed to comply with the federal gender-equity law known as Title IX by not responding appropriately to numerous reports of sexual harassment and violence, allowing a hostile environment to persist.
The department had been investigating Tufts for four years, following a student’s complaint under Title IX, which bars sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funds. In the complaint, the student alleged that Tufts had mishandled her report of sexual assault.
In an unusual development, Tufts initially accepted but then revoked an agreement with the department to change its policies, calling the finding of noncompliance that accompanied it unsubstantiated. That left the Massachusetts university and the federal agency in a standoff, with the latter pledging to enforce the agreement or begin the process of terminating federal funds to Tufts, the ultimate penalty for violations of Title IX.
During the rally on Thursday, organizers met with administrators to discuss the university’s interaction with the Education Department and its handling of sexual-misconduct reports. The group agreed on a series of points, including that Tufts is “fully committed to continuing to take the actions” in its pact with the department, according to a joint statement from participants in the meeting.
The statement also said Tufts expected that its continuing conversations with the department would “move toward a successful conclusion in the very near future.”