Washburn Investigated Over Sex Assault Response

Washburn University in Topeka is withholding comment for now about being added to a national list of colleges and universities under federal investigation for their response to complaints about sexual assault.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights announced additions to the list Wednesday. The colleges are facing inquiries under Title IX, the federal law that prohibits gender discrimination on campus. The agency previously released a list of 55 universities under investigation as part of a broader examination by federal officials.

Washburn spokeswoman Amanda Hughes said the university hadn’t received notification as of Wednesday about the federal investigation and couldn’t comment further about any alleged incidents of sexual assault.

Some of the investigations were initiated from complaints made to the Education Department. Others were launched following compliance reviews.