California Auditor To Review Sexual Assault Policies At Chico State, San Diego State

The California State University campuses in Chico and San Diego will undergo a state audit of their sexual assault policies, officials confirmed Wednesday.

Chico and San Diego State join the University of California's Berkeley and Los Angeles campuses in the audit.

In August, a bipartisan group of lawmakers passed a request for an audit of how sexual violence is handled at Berkeley, one other UC campus and two Cal State campuses. Officials confirmed this week that Berkeley, UCLA, Chico State and San Diego State were selected for the state review, expected to be released in April 2014.

The audit request, drafted by Assemblyman Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood), came after Berkeley was hit with a federal complaint in May. The complaint accused the school of violating the Clery Act, a campus safety law, in its response to reports of sexual assaults.

The California auditor will review how well these universities are complying with federal and state laws in their response to sexual harassment and misconduct, examining cases from 2009 through 2013. The auditor's office will determine, of the sexual violence allegations made by students, "how many formal investigations were conducted in comparison with issues addressed through an informal resolution process."

The state auditor's office did not explain why Chico and San Diego State were chosen, but both universities have reputations as party schools.

Occidental College and the University of Southern California, two other Golden State institutions facing similar federal complaints, will not be subject to state audits. Rendon's office previously told The Huffington Post they decided to focus on public universities funded by the state.