Sexual Assault on College Campuses

Sexual assault, abuse and harassment is a pervasive issue on college campuses in the United States. In fact, one in four women are sexually assaulted during their time in college, and statistics show that female college students aged 18-24 are three times more likely than women in the general population to experience sexual violence. Title IX addresses this issue by applying to sexual harassment committed by teachers and educators, as well as any school employees or non-employee third parties, such as visiting speakers or athletes. In one recent incident involving sexual assault by a school employee on a college campus, Dr. George Tyndall, longtime gynecologist at the University of Southern California (USC), has been named in more than a dozen lawsuits claiming that the doctor sexually abused young female students during his nearly 30-year tenure at the university. It could be argued that by failing to promptly investigate the claims of sexual misconduct brought against Dr. Tyndall over the course of nearly 30 years, and by allowing the gynecologist continued access to young female patients during this time, USC violated the terms of Title IX laws.