The US Department of Justice announced today Friday that it is opening an investigation into the University of New Mexico’s policies on dealing with sexual assaults on campus. It’s the latest in a number of DOJ investigations into university sexual assault policies nationwide.
The Justice Department review is a first for the university, and administrators say they still don’t know the details of the student accusations or the planned investigation.
There has been a spike in sexual assault cases reported at UNM recently — university statistics show 11 cases of sexual assault were registered by campus police last year, up from 4 cases in 2012.
The university enacted a number of policiesfollowing the rise in assault cases. The DOJ says its review is intended to make sure UNM policies comply with the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits gender discrimination in education.