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Report Finds Flaws in Iowa's Response to Alleged Assault
IOWA CITY - Although the University of Iowa did not try to cover-up an alleged sexual assault on campus, an independent review does say the University didn't handle the case properly. A St. Louis- based law firm reported to the Board of Regents Thursday about its investigation into the University of Iowa's response to what a student says happened in a dorm room last October.
Two former football players, Abe Satterfield and Cedric Everson, face sexual abuse charges. They are accused of attacking a female athlete in a Hillcrest dorm room almost a year ago. After a six week investigation, attorneys from Stolar Partnership say the University of Iowa did not properly protect a female student athlete who says two men sexually abused her in a dorm room. "Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong, despite paranoia with sticking to the process," says James Bryant of Stolar Partnership. Investigators criticized the University's process for handling violent crimes, like sexual assaults. The investigators say the school's policies and procedures are inadequate and confusing, even to its own is the university's failure to turn over certain paperwork to the Board of Regents during the investigation. "He said he should of, and that it was a mistake. He wasn't sure the documents were what the regents were looking for. He thought they were focused on policy," says Bryant. The investigators also say the university didn't do enough to stop student athletes from harassing the alleged victim. "This alleged harassment included physical threats and shouts of insulting and offensive language," says Bryant. The Board of Regents acknowledges the flaws in the university's procedures. "We fell short of the bar. We didn't handle the case the way we ought to have," says David Miles of the Iowa Board of Regents. But Iowa's athletic director says his department followed the rules and didn't keep anything quiet. "Every step of the way the goal was to handle it carefully and with compassion. While attempting to do that, we followed that process with no cover up," says Iowa Athletic Director Gary Barta. The university as a whole will respond to the report next week. The third party investigators recommended the University adopt a policy of always having a rape advocate with a student who comes forward saying he or she was sexually assaulted and get rid of any policy that allows an informal investigation for violent crimes. More Good Stuff |
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