Source: United States Department of Justice
The Justice Department announced today the results of its investigation into allegations that a former head coach of the Swimming and Diving Team at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) sexually harassed male student-athletes and discriminated against female student-athletes. The department notified UMBC that its failure to respond to known allegations of sex discrimination violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) and that UMBC’s failures allowed the former head coach to exploit his power over student-athletes, prey on student-athletes’ vulnerabilities and engage in egregious and ongoing abuse spanning many years.
“We will not tolerate sexual harassment and abuse of student-athletes on college campuses in our country. Too many school officials and administrators knew something for UMBC to have done nothing,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to hold our nation’s colleges and universities to their promise to educate students free from sexual harassment and discrimination — our young people deserve nothing less. We will continue to stand with the survivors of sexual harassment and ensure that schools take actions necessary to protect students from this kind of degrading and painful discrimination and abuse.”
Among other things, the department’s investigation found that, as early as 2015 and continuing through 2020, UMBC was on notice of and failed to respond adequately to allegations that the former head coach filmed students while showering and sexually touched male student-athletes on the pool deck, in the locker room and in the bathroom of the university’s aquatic center.
The department also found that, from 2016 through 2020, the Athletics Department failed to report several incidents of dating violence by male student-athletes against female teammates. Athletics staff and male swimming and diving teammates also made degrading comments about female student-athletes’ bodies and the head coach asked invasive questions about their sexual relationships.
Attorneys from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division’s Educational Opportunities Section and an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland conducted the investigation, with UMBC’s full cooperation.
Individuals with information related to the department’s findings are encouraged to contact the Justice Department at Community.UMBC@usdoj.gov.
The enforcement of Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in education programs and activities operated by recipients of federal financial assistance, is a top priority of the Civil Rights Division. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt, and additional information about the work of the Educational Opportunities Section is available at www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-section. Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at www.civilrights.justice.gov/report/.