When a first‑year student at a private university was discovered with bruises and bite marks after a party, she realized she had been raped while blacked out. The girl—who prefers to remain anonymous—couldn’t immediately determine whether she should report the incident to campus police, the Title IX office, or a local sheriff’s department. In the end, the university expelled the alleged rapist, but law officers declined to press charges, citing a lack of physical evidence.
Her case reflects a wider trend. In the United States, research shows that fewer than 10 % of sexual‑assault complaints filed with police ever result in convictions. University investigations, on the other hand, operate on a lower burden of proof and can impose sanctions such as suspension, expulsion or campus bans. Yet the dual‑pathway system—requiring survivors to navigate both criminal and civil procedures—creates confusion and discourages reporting.
"One of the biggest challenges is navigating the university and the criminal justice system, which serve different purposes, operate under different rules and timelines, and lead to different outcomes," says Zoey Scheinblum‑Brewer, a policy coordinator with the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.
Students and advocates note that the secrecy of university hearings is often cited as a shield for reputations. University officials argue the closed‑door process protects privacy, but legal experts point out that it also hides procedural inconsistencies and can deter witnesses from coming forward.
In a recent lawsuit filed by a former Cornell student—who claimed she was drugged and raped at a fraternity house—Cornell described its actions as a “thorough Title IX investigation.” The university said it had barred the fraternity and expelled the involved students, while the local district attorney’s office said it had received no charges. The case was re‑opened this week, adding new national attention to the topic.
Survivors like the unnamed student argue that their only recourse after police declined to press charges was to pursue the Title IX process. "It was my only avenue to achieve any sort of justice," she notes.
Policy experts call for clearer guidance and streamlined communication between universities and law‑enforcement agencies. By aligning responsibilities and providing explicit support resources—such as walk‑in counselors, evidence‑collection guidelines and explicit timelines—institutions could lessen the administrative burden on grieving students and improve reporting rates.
