Ivy League

Yale Students File Title IX Suit

Alleges rampant sexual harassment on campus.

Following a Title IX complaint alleging Yale University's failure to address incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault, the Department of Education announced Thursday that it will launch an investigation into the matter. The main complaint, filed in March by a group of undergraduate and graduate students, was an October 2010 incident in which members of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity chanted, "No means yes! Yes means anal!" on campus without adequate repercussions. The campus "precludes women from having the same equal opportunity to the Yale education as their male counterparts," according to complainant Hannah Zeavin. The complaint also includes the testimonies of five students who were victims of sexual harassment or sexual assault, and details numerous well-publicized cases, including an incident in 2005 in which fraternity members stole T-shirts emblazoned with the testimonies of sexual-assault survivors from the Clothesline Project; when Zeta Psi pledges were photographed holding a sign that said, "We Love Yale Sluts" outside the Women's Center in 2008; and an incident in 2009 in which an email called the "Preseason Scouting Report" circulated, ranking incoming female freshmen based on their sexual desirability.