Yale University refuses to expel six students found guilty of sexual assault

Elite US college Yale allows six students guilty of “non-consensual sex” to continue studying

Few British students will get the chance to study at Yale (Getty Images)

Six students found guilty of 'non-consensual sex' by the University-wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct (UWC) were allowed to continue their Ivy League education at Yale University, it has been announced.

Only one of the students found guilty by the university committee or college administrator was given a suspension. The student was suspended for two semesters, and placed on probation for the remainder of his studies. Four more were given written warnings, with one required to attend gender sensitivity training. One further student was placed on probation.

The information came to light in a Yale University ‘Report of Sexual Misconduct’, spanning from January 1 to June 30, 2013. A statement released by Yale comments: “the range of penalties described in these reports reflects our readiness to impose harsh sanctions when the findings warrant them.”

The university says that due to the need to protect the privacy of all individuals involved in the complaints proceedings, its reports are “unable to capture the diversity and complexity of the circumstances associated with the complaints, or the factors that determined the outcomes and sanctions.”

Overall, the report documented 61 separate cases of sexual assault, harassment or other misconduct committed in the first half of 2013. This is the highest number of complaints since the report was first issued in 2011.

In an email to the Yale Daily, Yale University’s student newspaper, the Deputy Provost for Health Affairs and Academic Integrity Stephanie S. Spangler said the report cannot reflect the full circumstances of each case, and that it employs the term “non-consensual sex” rather than “rape” or more explicit language to allow the University to impose sanctions for behaviours that may not meet a criminal standard.

Yale, an Ivy League institution regularly ranked among the top 20 in the world, was investigated by the US federal government last year for its harmful sexual climate. A spokesperson for the department of education last year said Yale had under-reported incidents of sexual assault and harassment, and had failed to keep adequate records of sexual misconduct.

An online petition 'Yale University: punish rape and other acts of so-called “non-consensual” with expulsion' on Change.org currently has 292 signatures. Another petition, 'Yale Administration: Stand Against Sexual Misconduct' had 404 signatures as of today.