I-Team: University of Chicago announces sweeping policy changes in handling sex assaults

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Sweeping policy changes were announced Tuesday at the University of Chicago in the handling of sexual assault cases. This comes almost a month after the I-Team revealed that U of C was under federal investigation.

Officials at University of Chicago Tuesday night said that this major shift in the handling of campus sexual misconduct cases is unrelated to the federal investigation of U of C. The changes do come as attention has been concentrated on Chicago's namesake, world -renowned university. The I-Team reported almost a month ago that a rape complaint by a U of C student was drawing heat for the way the Hyde Park administration treated her and it.

When we first met U of C student Olivia Ortiz, little had changed in the two years since she filed a rape complaint with university officials.

"I definitely felt like I was being portrayed as a hysterical woman in the situation," said Olivia Ortiz.

On Tuesday, less than four weeks since our I-Team report, a sweeping policy change at U of C is aimed at making sure future victims of campus sexual assault don't go through what Ortiz says she did.

A policy overhaul effective in July that adds a new associate dean of students will investigate sex cases alleged on campus, and a disciplinary committee composed of faculty, students and staff that will hear the cases.

"I'm really excited that they're centralizing the policy and hiring an associate dean of students of the university to take care of this policy as an impartial third party," said Ortiz.

The I-Team reported last month that U of C was among dozens of colleges across the country under federal investigation, accused by students of mishandling what is known as the "invisible crime."

"I think it's time to change policy, definitely time to illuminate this hidden, huge problem on campuses nationwide," said Sherry Cao, U of C student.

"We felt like this is an issue that's not spoken about," said Veronica Portillo Heap, Clothesline Project Director.

At U of C, sexual assault awareness week being marked by this display of 117 shirts on a clothesline, each one with a victim's story.

"We thought it was important to give them a voice to share their stories with the visual representation of one survivor, one story," said Portillo Heap.

A spokesperson for U of C said Tuesday night that the students on the new disciplinary commission will probably be selected through a process of nomination and application. Some, including student Olivia Ortiz, have a wait and see approach to the new policies to see who will actually be chosen and how, what the rollout of the plan really looks like, and whether U of C officials will be as transparent as they promise.