Groups seek probe of Strauss complaints

The National Women’s Law Center and dozens of other advocacy organizations are calling on the U.S. Department of Education to investigate Ohio State University, after numerous allegations of sexual misconduct by former university physician Richard Strauss.

The group, in a letter sent Wednesday, urged the department’s Office for Civil Rights, or OCR, to initiate an investigation into “Ohio State University’s failure to respond to a widely known pattern of alleged sexual abuse” by Strauss.

The letter also seeks a broader investigation into the university’s response to Strauss sexual abuse.

The letter was addressed to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and the head of the department’s Office of Civil Rights, Kenneth Marcus. In addition to the National Women’s Law Center, the letter was signed by 36 other groups, including the NAACP, End Rape on Campus, Know Your IX, National Alliance to End Sexual Violence and various state advocacy groups and coalitions.

Ohio State first announced an investigation of Strauss in April, stemming from allegations of sexual abuse during his time as a physician for the university’s wrestling team. Since then, more than 100 former students have reported that they were sexually abused by Strauss, who worked at the university from 1978 to 1998.