Swarthmore among colleges named in federal suit

A women's-rights lawyer said Wednesday that federal suits had been filed against several U.S. colleges, including Swarthmore College, alleging that the schools did not properly handle students' sexual-assault allegations.

Two other complaints making similar claims were filed against Swarthmore last month. It was not immediately clear how many of the suits filed Wednesday were against Swarthmore.

The complaints are not public, according to Gloria Allred, but they allege that the schools - Swarthmore, Dartmouth College, the University of North Carolina, the University of Southern California, and the University of California at Berkeley - did not comply with Title IX or the Clery Act.

Title IX, commonly known as a law related to women's sports, also contains civil rights requirements. The Clery Act requires accurate reporting of campus crimes.

In a statement, Swarthmore president Rebecca Chopp said that the school had not been notified of the suits, but that it was "committed to supporting our students and to fulfilling both the letter and the spirit of Title IX and the Clery Act."

Of the two suits filed in April, one was brought by students Mia Ferguson and Hope Brinn, and the other by a coalition, Swarthmore Assault Prevention and Survivor Advocates.