Auditor's report says U of M lacks appeals process in sex misconduct cases

The Office of the Legislative Auditor says the University of Minnesota's employee sexual misconduct policies satisfy major government requirements, but they lack an appeals process.

The auditor's office says there currently isn't a policy that allows for appeals of findings.

"It could be an appeal by the employee that the allegation is being made against. It could be an appeal by the victim," said Joel Alter, director of special reviews for the auditor.

In a written response to the report. University President Eric Kaler said he disagrees with the auditor's conclusion, but is open to enhancing the appeals process.

The auditor's report said it is unclear how frequently university employees have been accused of sexual misconduct. But there were at least 37 sexual misconduct reports against employees in fiscal 2017. Many of the cases were dismissed or deemed to be outside the university's jurisdiction In six cases, employees resigned.

The University of Minnesota is in the process of reexamining and changing the way it treats sexual misconduct and harassment on campus.

Among the priorities is training the broader community to intervene when they see an issue.

The school is spending more than a half million dollars on the initiative. Faculty and staff now take required training as part of the initiative.