University of New Mexico investigated over sex assaults response

By Joseph Kolb ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice said on Friday it is investigating multiple complaints regarding the University of New Mexico's handling of reported sexual assaults and sexual harassment of students there. The department will evaluate UNM's policies and practices for preventing sexual assault and harassment, as well as how it investigates and responds to student complaints of sexual violence, harassment, and retaliation, DOJ spokeswoman Elizabeth Martinez said. Martinez would not elaborate on the details of the complaints, but said the investigation is being conducted by attorneys from the department's Civil Rights Division and the local U.S. Attorney's Office under federal laws that prohibit sex discrimination in education programs. University officials said they were shocked when they received word of the investigation on Friday. "I was disappointed, especially after the hard work we've done," Tomas Aguirre, Dean of Students, told a news conference. "The snapshot I have is very different." Aguirre, who has only been at the university for 18 months, said UNM has launched numerous initiatives during that time focused on prevention and handling of on-campus sexual assaults. "But I'm sure we can always do more," he said. "Sexual violence has occurred on American campuses for a long time. It's not just a UNM problem, it's an American problem that needs to be addressed." Aguirre said 11 sexual attacks were reported during last year on the campus of some 28,000 students, and that eight had been reported so far this year. Outside the news conference, senior Vanessa Adame was among a group of female students filling brown paper bags with candles and sand for an annual campus festival of lights. "It's shocking," Adame said of the federal investigation. "There definitely is a culture where people have to be honest about what is happening here," she said. She added that she had seen certain improvements around campus during the last two years, for instance, improved lighting on footpaths. Resident Assistant Rebecca Body, a junior at the university, said her staff will undergo training when classes resume in January on the warning signs of sexual attacks, and on what they can do better to serve victims as a peer support group. "It seems the university is trying to be more pro-active," Body said. (Reporting by Joseph Kolb; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Andre Grenon)