Two cases of sexual misconduct reported to Title IX
By Grace Bertrand
Two incidents of alleged sexual misconduct, taking place in February and March, were reported to the Office of Title IX and Equal Opportunity Compliance on March 25, according to a campuswide notification.
Both occurrences involved individuals who knew each other, the March 25 email stated, and the two reports are currently under an initial assessment by the Title IX office.
Ken Koenig, the recently appointed director of Title IX, told The Rider News that the two reports were independent of one another and involved alleged “non-consensual sexual contact” occurring between students on campus between Feb. 3 and March 25.
He said the exact days and times of the two incidents were not reported to Title IX and that the university was notified as soon as the reports were made.
“In this case, we’re still looking at what the dates are,” Koenig said. “Some people may give a date range … but some people may not remember the date.”
While there was no ongoing threat to the campus, Koenig said, the Title IX office is reviewing both cases and are in the midst of “assessing appropriate next steps” in accordance with Title IX.
Koenig continued, “To protect the privacy of those involved and to comply with federal privacy laws, including [the Family Educational and Rights and Privacy Act] and Title IX, the university cannot share additional information at this time.”
The mandatory notification from Title IX was shared under the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act of 1998, commonly known as the Clery Act.
This is the third incident of sexual misconduct reported to Title IX in the spring 2026 semester, with a sexual assault initially reported to Lawrence Police on Jan. 1 and communicated to Rider a month later on Feb. 2.
On Feb. 26, Koenig reported that an initial assessment was in place for the January incident and a formal investigation had not yet been initiated. As of March 31, the initial assessment is still ongoing, Koenig said, but did not confirm the reasoning.
While this assessment involves a review of the facts and a “limited” interview with the individual filing a report, Koenig said a formal investigation gives the Title IX investigators the ability to collect evidence and conduct multiple in-depth interviews with people involved.
Dean of Students Christine Mehlhorn added that in addition to the initial assessment of the two March 25 reports, “supportive measures have been offered to both students who made reports.”
