Content warning: this article contains references to physical harm, dating violence and Title IX sexual harassment.

On May 29, 2025, Vladimir Lopez, a graduate student studying cinematic arts, film and television production, filed a Title IX complaint against an individual at the University in a position of power over him. The complaint contained nine allegations against the accused person, including physical harm, dating violence and Title IX sexual harassment. 

The Notice of Investigation provided to Lopez read that the University intended to complete the fact-gathering stage of the investigation within 60 to 90 days. Emails obtained by the Daily Trojan confirmed that the fact-gathering stage was still ongoing in December, seven months after his initial filing. 

Multiple students raised concerns to the Daily Trojan with how USC’s OCRC — which is responsible for managing reports of discrimination, retaliation and harassment related to protected characteristics of USC community members — handles reports and investigations.

In interviews with the Daily Trojan, students detailed both direct experiences with the OCRC taking far longer than expected to complete investigations, with limited updates provided to students, and experiences with students being hesitant to file a report through OCRC at all because of the length of their investigations, leaving alleged abuse uninvestigated. 

In a statement to the Daily Trojan, the University said that several factors, including the complexity of the cases, the availability of parties and witnesses, and personnel transitions, can extend the investigation. In the statement, the University encouraged concerned students to reach out to [email protected] with any questions about their cases.

“While the Office for Civil Rights Compliance strives to complete investigations within estimated timeframes, the duration of a review can vary based on several factors,” the statement read. “Each matter requires a thorough and fair process, and timelines may be adjusted to ensure that all relevant information is appropriately considered.”

According to the Office of Civil Rights Compliance’s website, the office first assesses every formal complaint it receives and then sends a notice of investigation to both parties. Then, the office gathers testimony from both parties in the fact-gathering stage. Once the fact-gathering stage is complete, both parties can respond to the allegations made in an evidence review.

After the evidence review, OCRC releases an investigative report that summarizes the relevant evidence. A live hearing follows, then the sanctioning officers determine an appropriate sanction. Once they do, both parties are notified of the outcome.

Emails obtained by the Daily Trojan also confirmed that as of March 18, 2026, roughly ten months after Lopez’s original filing, the Office of Civil Rights Compliance has not released its investigative report to either party. 

“Title IX has done absolutely nothing. I provided them screenshots, text messages, witnesses, you name it; [They] haven’t done a single thing,” Lopez said. “I find it really hard to believe that they’re working on my [complaint] every single day.” 

The Daily Trojan also confirmed at least one instance of Lopez’s assigned investigator taking 23 days to reply to an email from Lopez asking for an update on his investigation.

Lopez said the length of OCRC’s investigation made him feel as though the person who allegedly committed Title IX violations would not be held accountable for their actions. 

“Anyone at the school can treat someone this way, can do these things to someone and they’ll be fine,” Lopez said. “They won’t get trouble or nothing, no repercussions from treating someone like this at USC.”

Two student leaders in a recognized student organization, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, said they had been attempting to remove one of their members who they claimed had been sexually harassing another member. 

However, the student leaders said that because the student who experienced the alleged harassment did not feel comfortable launching a formal investigation through the OCRC, a requirement for removing an officer for a Title IX violation, they were unable to remove the accused individual. 

​“[The impacted student] had already confirmed that [they] didn’t want to pursue anything, because, frankly, [they were] scared of OCRC,” one student said. “[They] didn’t want to go through a whole battle of trying to prove that something happened to [them].”

According to the RSO constitution template, RSOs can independently vote to remove a member who has failed to perform their duties or violated their membership clause, such as by not demonstrating support for the organization or not complying with the University policies and expectations outlined in the Student Handbook.

Situations where an RSO cannot independently remove an officer are not outlined in the constitution template. In a statement to the Daily Trojan, the University wrote that RSOs could not independently remove officers for alleged Title IX violations.  

“If a member of an [RSO] is accused of sexual harassment or other forms of harassment based on a protected characteristic, [OCRC’s] review process must be completed before any university-imposed disciplinary action is taken,” the statement read.

One of the club officers said that even if the allegedly impacted student were to be comfortable with the investigation, the length of the investigation and the lack of RSO autonomy in the removal process would result in an uncomfortable experience for club members because the club would have to maintain the accused person’s officer title until the investigation was complete. 

“The thing is, with [OCRC], it takes a while. It’s a long time. The victim has to provide their own evidence. They have to go through a whole trial … it takes a while, and we have to act like nothing happened,” the student said. “We who have witnessed these things and understand the consequences to our team need to act like nothing happened until OCRC may or may not give a response that is desirable.”

Other universities in California also do not allow student organizations to independently remove officers on the basis of alleged Title IX violations. UC Berkeley requires guidance from its Office for the Prevention of Harassment & Discrimination to remove or suspend students who were accused of Title IX violations. 

UC Riverside’s 2020 guidance asks student organizations to outsource sexual assault and harassment allegations to the Office of Civil Rights, according to a YouTube video published by the university.

The RSO leader said the club’s atmosphere was negatively impacted by their inability to take what they perceived as meaningful action against the accused individual. 

“Our team is scared. There are people who want to leave the team, despite this team being everything for them, because … we have no power to do anything about anyone anymore,” they said. “It’s exhausting, and it’s demoralizing, and it’s humiliating.”

If you are in need of support, here are some resources you can contact: USC Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention and Services, located at the Engemann Student Health Center, Suite 356. Individuals can call (213)-740-9355 and request to speak with an advocate or counselor. Services are confidential. Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN): A free, confidential hotline that is active 24/7. Individuals can call (800)-656-4673.