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KANSAN.COM/NEWS MONDAY, JUNE 13, 2016
KANSAN.COM
TITLE IX FROM PAGE 1
after she reported being sexually assaulted in Jayhawker Towers.
Sarah did not attend the press conference, and her father, Jim, spoke on her behalf. He introduced Sarah as a legacy student at KU, whose greatgrandfather graduated from the University in the 1930s.
"She ended up selecting KU because, for us and for her, it was like coming home," Jim said. "They made it feel like home."
Jim announced the creation of a website where a video statement from Sarah can be seen, as well as details about sexual assault at the University.
In her video statement, McClure said the University tells people how quickly action is taken following a report of sexual assault.
"What amazes me is that KU has the audacity to continue to make that statement after what has come -to light," she said. "[...] I believe KU students are at risk. It's time for KU to speak up."
Jim said their original intention was for Sarah to be named with the original filing of her lawsuit, however, they decided to wait until after she finished the spring semester at the University to protect her safety.
Dan Curry represents the McClure family as well as former rower Daisy Tackett and her parents. Tackett's parents filed a class-action lawsuit against the University under the Consumer Protection Act,
saying KU was misleading in its representation of the safety of student housing. Tackett filed an individual Title IX lawsuit against the University in March.
Curry said since the identity of the McClure family has been disclosed, they, along with Tackett, will join the class-action lawsuit against the University. An updated complaint was filed in Douglas County District Court this morning to reflect the change in number of plaintiffs.
She ended up selecting KU because, for us and for her, it was like coming home. They made it feel like home."
Jim McClure Father of Sarah McClure
"We believe that KU is a good school, it's a good institution and there are good people. We think that the individuals involved now are not doing the right thing and are not being transparent," he said. "My goal is to create transparency around what is going on at KU and really ask the question: 'Why are you so against being
Although Sarah does not plan to return to the University, and will continue her education at an undecided school, Jim said his family still believes the University is a good institution. However, he said it lacks transparency in handling sexual assault cases.
transparent? What is the problem?"
Jim said following her assault, Sarah was "afraid for her safety" living in Jayhawker Towers.
"I would fly in on the weekends and she would stay in hotels," he said. "We would go to hotels, we would do various things to get her out of there."
According to federal guidelines from the Department of Education and the Office for Civil Rights, universities are expected to investigate sexual assault cases within 60 days of the initial report being filed: However, whether an investigation is considered timely by the OCR depends on the complexity of the investigation and the evidence.
Curry and McClure said the IOA investigation of Sarah's case took nearly five months.
"It was well beyond the scope of time, and they didn't work to bring resolution to her case until the first [class-action] suit was filed," Jim said.
In a statement, Erinn Barcomb-Peterson director for news and media relations, said the University must protect the rights of students by not releasing details on individual sexual assault investigations.
"The University thoroughly investigated Ms. McClure's allegations, and as a result, the accused student is no longer enrolled at KU," she said. "We are confident the courts will agree that we've met our obligations to both Ms. McClure and
Ms. Tackett."
Jim said the hardest part for him, as a father, was Sarah having to heal not only from the alleged assault, but the way she was treated by the University following the assault.
“[KU] did everything in their power to dismiss her and make it go away. Their entire process was very selfserving, and we want to be transparent,” he said. “[...] KU was using my daughter to get information and to better insulate and protect themselves as opposed to helping her.”
McClure added that any money made from a potential legal resolution would be donated to sexual assault victims in the state of Kansas.
- Edited by Candice Tarver
Conner Mitchell/KANSAN sarah McClure was disclosed as the previously-anonymous "Jane Doe 7" in a title IX case against the University during a press conference.
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