10 reports of sexual assault ignored on USC's main campus, Title IX Task Force report finds
In the past five years, there have been multiple reports of sexual assault or harassment that have been ignored by those in authority at USC’s main campus in Columbia.
Lawsuits have been filed by students and instructors alike. The legal claims made involve assaults, harassment, grooming and abuse. The frequency of complaints and lawsuits against the university are described as “endemic,” by Attorney Randal Hood.
Some of these legal claims are tied to a single offender exhibiting the same inappropriate and harmful behaviors over several years. This was the case in December when two instructors filed lawsuits against the university and David Voros, a tenured professor.
Voros had been involved in a lawsuit against a graduate student in 2018 for similar behaviors. Similarly, a concerned student in 2017 had reported him, but campus police stated they could not do anything until a crime was committed.
According to the lawsuits, Voros continuously intimidated and harassed the women, reportedly blocking Pamela Bowers in her office while making sexual and physical advances before eventually leaving. The university is also being investigated for systemically protecting offenders such as Voros, wrote independent journalist Mandy Matney.
Bowers reported Voros's behavior for months, cataloging threatening emails and presence. She believes that the university did nothing about this behavior and that Voros’s relationship with higher officials at USC may be in play.
Another incident reported by Lucas Daprile for The State involves a professor, Robert Richmond, who was accused of and later admitted to sending inappropriate text messages to a student. In these messages, he asked what the student was wearing and asked her to “take it off!!!”
While Richmond did admit that he sent these messages, he called it “witty banter.” The university deemed his messages as not violating any school policy.
Power imbalance combined with sexual harassment is another allegation in support of the assertion that university administration is unable to handle internal cases. An employee was impregnated by her boss, who threatened to fire her if the pregnancy was not terminated. This sexual harassment claim was also rejected by the university.
In a third incident, three women made complaints about being sexually harassed by an art professor. Following the university’s trend, all of these complaints were ultimately disregarded.
Since 2017, there have been ten total reports of sexual assault or harassment at USC that have been ignored.
In 2019, USC removed the ability for students or employees to appeal internally if their harassment claims are rejected. In contrast, offenders may appeal against their punishment, though not against a harassment claim, according to Daprile.
Students and employees of USC felt as though the university was ignoring its responsibility to stick to its Title IX policies. A student protest was organized on April 2nd in response, with a common message: “Fire all abusers.”
“USC’s system is broken and only silences and re-victimizes the victims,” wrote Matney, a sentiment that resonated with numerous victims.
In March, USC began the process of reviewing its Title IX policies and procedures. In July, a full Title IX Task Force report was completed, highlighting ways in which the university can improve its employee training and reporting processes.
The university acknowledged areas in which its handling of sexual assault reports has been insufficient and listed some ways they plan to improve these areas, including making the reporting process less threatening and developing stronger investigative protocols. The full report can be found here.
On the Aiken campus, Carla Hayes is the Title IX Coordinator for university employees, while Ahmed Samaha is the coordinator for students. Their contact information can be found below.
Carla Hayes: (803) 641-3317, Penland Administration Building Room 116
Ahmed Samaha: (803) 641-3411, Student Activities Center room 159
If you or a loved one has or is experiencing sexual assault or harassment, you can contact the RAINN 24/7 sexual assault hotline at 800-656-HOPE.
