THE
THE KVUE
THE KVUE DEFENDERS WANTED TO FIND OUT HOW BIG OF A PROBLEM SEXUAL MISCONDUCT IS
AT U-T...
BUT INSTEAD OF ANSWERS - THE
UNIVERSITY TRIED TO GIVE
US A BIG BILL - TO GET THOSE
RECORDS.
AND THAT HIGH COST- REVEALS A
MUCH BIGGER PROBLEM WITH
TRACKING AND TRANSPARENCY AT THE
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL. HERE'S INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
BRAD STREICHER.
BRAD STREICHER. JUST LAST MONTH UNIVERSITY OF
TEXAS OFFICIALS PROMISED A REVIEW OF
THE SCHOOL'S
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT POLICIES AND
PROCEDURES.
THIS AFTER STUDENT PROTESTS OVER
TWO UT
PROFESSORS KEPT ON FACULTY.
AFTER THEY
WERE FOUND GUILTY OF SEXUAL
MISCONDUCT.
BACK IN AUGUST, WE ASKED FOR
COPIES OF
SEXUAL ASSAULT AND SEXUAL
HARASSMENT COMPLAINTS
FROM UT AUSTIN EMPLOYEES.
THAT REQUEST WAS MET WITH A
PRICE TAG. OF MORE THAN 4
THOUSAND
THOUSAND DOLLARS. A CLOSER LOOK AND A FEW QUESTIONS LATER. WE
FOUND OUT WHY.
"THEY DON'T WANT TO RELEASE
ANYTHING BAD
THAT'S HAPPENING TO MAKE THEM
LOOK BAD.
THAT'S HOW I FEEL."
MICHELLE STEEN USED TO WORK WITH
THE CLEANING CREW
AT UT AUSTIN'S FRANK ERWIN
CENTER.
SHE FILED THIS LAWSUIT BACK IN
2011. CLAIMING ONE
OF HER BOSSES. A UT EMPLOYEE.
CORNERED HER
IN AN ELEVATOR, GRABBED HER
WAIST. AND TRIED TO KISS
HER.
"I WAS TRAPPED IN THERE, AND HE
WAS TRYING TO COME ONTO
ME AND I WAS VERY, VERY, VERY
UNCOMFORTABL
E."
UNCOMFORTABL E." UT DENIED HER ALLEGATIONS. BUT
SETTLED WITH MICHELLE
AND HER ATTORNEYS WHO AGREED TO
DROP THE
LAWSUIT IN 2013.
BUT WE WANTED DETAILS ABOUT
OTHER
COMPLAINTS LIKE MICHELLE'S AT UT
AUSTIN.
IN AUGUST, WE SENT ONE EMAIL TO
UT'S RECORDS
OFFICE. ASKING FOR SEXUAL
ASSAULT AND HARASSMENT
COMPLAINTS FROM THE LAST 5
YEARS.
THEY RESPONDED SAYING THE
RECORDS
WOULD TAKE MORE THAN 160 HOURS
TO FIND. AND
COST US MORE THAN 4 THOUSAND
DOLLARS.
9 EMAILS AND A COUPLE QUESTIONS
LATER. WE ASK
FOR AN INTERVIEW WITH SOMEONE
FROM THE SCHOOL.
THAT SAME DAY. THE RECORDS
OFFICE
SOMEHOW FOUND A WAY TO CUT THE
WORKLOAD AND
THE PRICE IN HALF.
BUT IT WOULD STILL COST US 2
THOUSAND DOLLARS.
3 EMAIL EXCHANGES AND A FEW DAYS
LATER. A UT
AUSTIN SPOKESPERSON SAYS IF WE
NARROW OUR
REQUEST TO THE "FINDINGS." WE
CAN GET THE
RECORDS FOR FREE IN JUST 10
DAYS.
SO, WE DID THAT. BUT AFTER MORE
EMAILS BACK-
AND-FORTH. WE WERE TOLD THOSE
DOCUMENTS
WOULD STILL COST US MORE THAN
100 DOLLARS.
"IS THERE A POSSIBILITY THAT THE
UNIVERSITY IS
OVERCHARGING FOR OPEN RECORDS TO
PREVENT
PEOPLE FROM GETTING ACCESS TO
THEM?"
"YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF
JOURNALISTS
WHO GET HIGH ESTIMATES FOR OPEN
RECORDS. THE
OPEN RECORDS OFFICE IS JUST
GIVING YOU AN ESTIMATE BASED
ON THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT HAS
TO BE DONE."
THAT COULD BE THE CASE. BUT WE
FOUND OUT. THERE'S A
BIGGER PROBLEM BEHIND THE HIGH
COST FOR
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT RECORDS. "TELL
ME HOW THE CURRENT REPORTS THAT
EXISTHOW
EXISTHOW HAVE THEY HISTORICALLY BEEN AND HOW ARE THEY CURRENTLY KEPT AND CATALOGUED IN
THE
UNIVERSITY?"
THE UNIVERSITY?" "SO HISTORICALLY EVERY
INDIVIDUAL CASE
WAS IN ITS OWN FILE
FOLDERELECTRONICALLY AND
HARD COPY."
"AND THAT'S HOW IT IS NOW?"
"IT IS."
WE DISCOVERED THE SCHOOL ONLY
KEEPS
COMPLAINTS OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT.
IN INDIVIDUAL
EMPLOYEE FILES. THERE'S NO
COLLECTIVE DATABASE
WHERE THE SCHOOL CAN EASILY
ACCESS OR VIEW THOSE
REPORTS IN BULK.MAKING IT HARDER
FOR THE UNIVERSITY
TO TRACK THEM.AND HARDER FOR THE
PUBLIC TO
ACCESS THEM.
"I THINK IT IS A PROBLEM IF
INSTITUTIONS ARE NOT
KEEPING A CENTRALIZED SYSTEM AND
NOT
DOCUMENTING APPROPRIATELY.
BECAUSE IT WOULD SIGNAL
THAT MAYBE THEY ARE NOT TAKING
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
AND SEXUAL MISCONDUCT SERIOUSLY
ENOUGH."
SANDRA MOLINARI. FROM THE
NONPROFIT
STOP ABUSE FOR EVERYONE. SAYS
FAILING TO
KEEP EVERY SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
COMPLAINT IN
ONE COLLECTIVE SYSTEM. IS A HUGE
PROBLEM.
"THEY COULD MISS TRENDS THAT ARE
HAPPENING. IF
THEY DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S
COMING FROM OR HOW
OFTEN IT'S HAPPENING, THEY COULD
COMPLETELY
MISS THE FACT THAT IT'S
HAPPENING MORE IN
CERTAIN AREAS, CERTAIN
DEPARTMENTS."
UT OFFICIALS SAY THEY ALSO
RECOGNIZE THE PITFALLS OF
THEIR SYSTEM FOR TRACKING SEXUAL
MISCONDUCT
COMPLAINTS. BUT THE SCHOOL'S
TITLE IX COORDINATOR
TELLS ME THEY HAVE PLANS IN
PLACE TO MAKE CHANGES.
THOSE CHANGES COME LARGELY FROM
A NEW LAW. SENATE
BILL 212.
"IT'S A GOOD THING, THE PASSING
OF THIS LAW, BECAUSE
IT SPECIFICALLY ASKS FOR ALL
TITLE IX MATTERS TO
NOW MAKE SURE THAT THEY START
WITH
WITH THE
WITH THE TITLE IX OFFICE AND END WITH THE TITLE IX OFFICE." SB 212 TAKES EFFECT IN JANUARY.
IT WILL PUT MORE
REQUIREMENTS ON HOW COLLEGES AND
UNIVERSITIES
REPORT SEXUAL MISCONDUCT. TITLE
IX COORDINATORS
WILL HAVE TO REPORT INCIDENTS TO
THE
INSTITUTION'S CEO WHEN THEY
HAPPEN. AND THE CEO HAS TO
PUBLISH A REPORT ONCE EVERY
SEMESTER
DISCLOSING MISCONDUCT
ALLEGATIONS.
UT REPRESENTATIV ES SAY WITH THE
NEW LAW.
THEY'LL START KEEPING A DATABASE
OF ALL SEXUAL
MISCONDUCT COMPLAINTS. THE WAY
THOSE COMPLAINTS
ARE TRACKED NOW. HAS BEEN A
PROBLEM EVEN
FOR SCHOOL OFFICIALS.
"I THINK IT'S CONCERNING AND WE
ACKNOWLEDGE
THAT AND HAVE RECOGNIZED, I
THINK IT'S BEEN A FRUSTRATION
FOR ALL OF US WHICH IS WHY WE'RE
WORKING SO DILIGENTLY
TO IMPROVE IT. AND I THINK WE
HAVE MADE THE RIGHT STRIDES
IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND ARE
GOING TO CONTINUE THAT
MOMENTUM WITH SB 212."
BUT UNTIL THAT HAPPENS. MICHELLE
STEEN REMAINS
SKEPTICAL.
"THEY'RE HIDING A LOT. THEY'RE
HIDING A LOT. THEY DON'T
WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHAT'S
ACTUALLY GOING
ON ON THAT CAMPUS. AND IT'S
FRIGHTENING
FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE THAT ARE
THERE RIGHT NOW THAT
MAY HAVE GOTTEN SEXUALLY
HARASSED OR
SEXUALLY ASSAULTED."
OFFICIALS WITH UT AUSTIN TOLD ME
THEIR NEW SYSTEM FOR
TRACKING THESE COMPLAINTS WILL
BE IN
PLACE BY DECEMBER. THAT'S WHEN
THEY'VE SAID
THEY CAN GIVE US THESE RECORDS.
FOR FREE. WE'LL
KEEP YOU UPDATED WITH WHETHER
THAT HAPPENS. FOR
THE KVUE DEFENDERS. BRAD
STREICHER.
KVUE NEWS.
KVUE NEWS. IF THERE'S SOMETHING YOU'D LIKE
THE DEFENDERS TO INVESTIGATE -- LET US KNOW.
CALL THE NUMBER YOU SEE ON YOUR
SCREEN -- OR
EMAIL US AT DEFENDERS-
AT-KVUE-DOT-COM.
AT-KVUE-DOT-COM.