USC Replies to Letter From Women’s Group

USC has responded to a letter from a women’s organization that called on the university to crack down on football players’ off-the-field behavior.

On May 3, Helen Grieco, executive director of the California chapter of the National Organization for Women, sent a letter to USC President Steven Sample and Coach Pete Carroll expressing outrage over the “gender-based crimes committed by USC football players that are ignored by the administrators and swept under the rug by local law enforcement.”

In a letter to Grieco dated Wednesday, Michael Jackson, USC’s vice president of student affairs, said Sample had asked him to respond. He wrote:

“We disagree strongly with this characterization of our campus and with the assertion that football players are given special treatment in cases of sexual assault. All accusations of criminal action by any of our students are referred to the LAPD, and we cooperate fully with the District Attorney’s office in its investigation. We also use our student disciplinary process to deal with these accusations.

“If you are aware of any specific incidences of gender-based crimes at USC that have not been reported to our office, I suggest that you encourage the victim to contact Raquel Torres Rentana, Director of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards in the Office of Student Affairs. I assure you that we take the issue of sexual assault seriously, and that we do maintain a zero tolerance policy toward any incidents that come to our attention.”

Grieco on Thursday said of USC’s response: “Their prevention program isn’t working, their zero tolerance policy doesn’t hold a lot of water. They need to do something about it.... I want them to see that they have come on the radar, that we are watching.”

Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, said she could not comment about either the CA NOW letter or USC’s response because allegations regarding quarterback Mark Sanchez are under review.

Sanchez, 19, was arrested April 26 after a female USC student told police he sexually assaulted her. The university put Sanchez on interim suspension after the arrest. He is free on $200,000 bail and has not been charged.

Wednesday, a court hearing was put over to an undetermined date pending the district attorney’s investigation and review of the case.