September 5, 2016

Page 1

Opening the floodgates

Women’s Center gets new home

Duke set a program record in its 49-6 win against N.C. Central | Sportswrap

Students and leaders praise bigger space, note higher attendance| Page 3

The Chronicle T H E I N D E P E N D E N T D A I LY AT D U K E U N I V E R S I T Y

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2016

WWW.DUKECHRONICLE.COM

ONE HUNDRED AND TWELFTH YEAR, ISSUE 7

Federal Title IX investigations spike across country Sam Turken The Chronicle Duke is currently facing a lawsuit and two federal investigations for potentially mishandling Title IX complaints from former students, but several other private institutions have recently encountered similar scrutiny for how they have addressed sexual assault and harassment reports. Stanford University, Princeton University, Cornell University and Harvard University are among numerous private institutions that have faced at least three investigations by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. The OCR has also initiated a total of three investigations against Duke—one of which has been resolved and two of which remain open today. After the OCR concluded the first investigation involving a complaint against Duke in 2013, the federal government launched another probe in November. The OCR—which does not publicize the reason for its reviews or the names of those involved before the cases are resolved—announced its latest investigation of Duke in August. Investigations into higher education institutions are launched by the OCR when it receives complaints detailing

Graphic by Rachel Donaldson and Miguel Gonzalez | The Chronicle

alleged violations of Title IX—the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in all educational programs that receive federal funding. According to the OCR webpage, the investigations involve interviews with the complainants, witnesses and other school administrators and usually last between two and four years. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened a total of 321 investigations into colleges

and universities across the nation since April 2011, with a steep increase in the number of cases opened in the past few years, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. Overall, the OCR is currently conducting 270 investigations at more than 190 different schools. “We follow a careful process when a sexual misconduct allegation is made, one that ensures we are responsive, thorough

and fair as federal law and our own policies require,” wrote Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, in an email to The Chronicle when a Title IX lawsuit was brought against Duke last month. Increased accountability The OCR has not always reviewed how schools respond to reports of sexual assault See TITLE IX on Page 12

Whistleblower alleges Duke used false data to obtain funding Staff Reports The Chronicle

Courtesy of Duke Photography The lawsuit states that Duke used improper data to receive grants.

Duke is being sued by a former researcher for using improper data in grant applications to receive about $200 million in funding. This development stems from a series of retractions in papers published by Erin Potts-Kant, a former Duke researcher who was arrested for embezzling from the University in 2013, and William Foster, also a former Duke researcher. Fifteen of Potts-Kant’s papers have been retracted, according to Retraction Watch, a blog that

covers scientific misconduct and retractions and first reported the lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed under the False Claims Act, which allows “whistleblowers” unconnected with the government to file suit on behalf of the government to recover federal funds provided due to fraudulent information. In this case, the lawsuit alleges, the money came in the form of 60 grants worth about $200 million. Retraction Watch reported that, should Duke lose the lawsuit, the University could be required to return to the government up to three times the fraudulent funds, as well as a payout

to the whistleblower—Joseph Thomas, a former member of the cell biology department. According to Retraction Watch, Thomas is alleging that several reviewers and hospital staff were aware or suspicious that Potts-Kant had fabricated research. He goes on to allege, the article said, that others at Duke were aware of the research’s red flags. Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, wrote in a statement that Duke maintains high levels of scientific integrity in its See FALSE DATA on Page 12

go for it.

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