BOULDER, Colo.—The University of Colorado has paid a student $32,500 to settle a complaint she filed over the way the school handled her report of being sexually assaulted.
The Boulder Daily Camera reported the settlement Saturday after obtaining a copy of the agreement under the state Open Records Act.
The payment was made to Sarah Gilchriese, who said she was sexually assaulted by another student. She said her assailant’s punishment included only an eight-month suspension and $75 fine, and that it took four weeks for the assailant to be removed from campus.
The Associated Press does not identify the victims of sexual crimes without their consent. Gilchriese has agreed to be publicly identified.
“I hope that with all the publicity about my case and my federal complaint that it creates a community where a lot more survivors feel comfortable coming forward and reporting,” she said. “I also went public because I want policies to change for all future survivors so the campus is a lot safer for them and the policies really cater toward the survivors’ needs.”
Gilchriese filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights last year alleging CU violated Title IX, a federal education law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex.
The Civil Rights office launched an investigation, which is still underway and is separate from the settlement.
