BATON ROUGE — Louisiana lawmakers are questioning the effectiveness of a reporting system after a national sexual assault scandal drove the university into controversy in 2020, according to a report by Louisiana Illuminator. 

The university faced adversity following a USA Today report revealing how the university mishandled sexual misconduct complaints against student-athletes, with numerous institutional problems regarding Title IX later being revealed.

In 2021, state lawmakers strengthened state laws creating a power-based violence category, which includes Title IX offenses and other related offenses, with a statewide reporting system being introduced that informs lawmakers, students and families about the frequency of abuse and how state colleges and universities respond to it. 

While students and employees can report Title IX incidents to schools, a small amount of the information is made public, with schools only required to provide basic information such as the type of incident, the investigation status, the gender of those involved and if discipline was issued.

According to the Illuminator, the reports only include details on reports that have been elevated to formal complaints and given to investigators, leaving out information on hundreds of allegations involving rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment and dating violence. 

Each allegation is reviewed by Title IX investigators to determine if it is a prohibited offense and if it meets specific criteria such as whether the university has jurisdiction over the matter. Available records also don't provide outcomes for confirmed complaints that are appealed or details about cases still pending at the end of the reporting period. 

Out of over 300 formal complaints at Louisiana's public colleges and universities since 2022, dozens are listed as still pending, with pending investigations not being carried over to the next year and the previous year's reports not being updated. 

Lawmakers at the Power-Based Violence Review Panel last week were concerned by the lack of information regarding these cases, according to the report. The Board of Regents' director of government affairs, Berianna Golden-Phillips, claimed that reports would be updated to include information about appeals and the ratio of total incidents reported to formal complaints filed. 

According to the report, out of the 336 power-based violence and Title IX allegations elevated to formal complaints during a four-year period, 30 investigations found that wrongdoing occurred, with a total of two students being permanently removed from campus. 

Of the 880 incidents reported at LSU, only 38 were elevated to formal complaints. McNeese had 61 incidents that led to 19 formal complaints. Between the 12 schools and 65 campuses in Louisiana's Community and Technical College System, only 99 formal complaints were filed out of 249 incident reports. 

The report also noted that investigations into the cases can take months, with the average time for an investigation to be completed being about 45 days in the University of Louisiana System and 89 days for LSU's system. 

According to the Illuminator, in the 30 instances where an alleged perpetrator was found responsible for an offense, punishments varied, with some students found responsible for sexual misconduct, stalking and dating violence only being required to attend counseling and complete community service. Others were also issued no-contact orders and assigned training about sexual misconduct. 

While two students were expelled for power-based violence incidents, the reports did not include information about whether students were reported to the police or faced criminal consequences. 

The low number of formal complaints was a topic of discussion at the review panel, with campus leaders citing several reasons for the lack of investigations, including anonymous reports, students choosing not to pursue a formal investigation, and informal resolutions where both parties agree to end the investigation. 

The appeals process for accusations took center stage after LSU student Kendall Francus accused football player Damien Shanklin of rape. Shanklin was found responsible and suspended. However, he appealed his punishment and was able to return to campus as well as the football field. According to District Attorney Hillar Moore, the incident is currently the topic of a criminal investigation.