UC Berkeley received 735 reports of sexual violence or sexual harassment during fiscal year 2025. During that year, the university completed 34 SVSH investigations, and 20 cases ended with a finding of a policy violation and a sanction. The numbers, drawn from the university's 2025 Civil Rights Annual Report, lay bare a widening gap between the volume of complaints reaching campus officials and the small share that ever result in discipline.
According to The Daily Californian, the campus's Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination, known as OPHD, closed 1,465 cases altogether in fiscal year 2025 but sent only 53 of them to formal investigation. The outlet reports that about half of all closed SVSH cases ended after initial assessments turned up insufficient information, often because complainants went unidentified or never responded to outreach from campus staff.
Campus spokesperson Dee Mostofi told the paper that OPHD evaluates whether alleged conduct could violate SVSH or anti-discrimination policy, whether there is enough information to proceed, and whether the conduct connects to the university at all. Cases can be closed, she said, when reported behavior lacks sufficient evidence of a violation, falls outside policy, or simply lacks enough information to move forward. When formal investigations do go forward, OPHD interviews both parties and witnesses, gathers evidence, and applies the preponderance-of-the-evidence standard before issuing a preliminary determination, per the same report.
A Growing Surge in Filings
The scale of the 735 reports reflects a sharp year-over-year jump. According to UC Berkeley's 2025 Civil Rights Annual Report, sexual harassment reports rose 45.3% between fiscal years 2024 and 2025, sexual assault allegations grew 26.1%, and overall SVSH filings climbed 28.3%, as detailed by The Daily Californian's data desk. Campus officials attribute part of that surge to increased community awareness of reporting channels.
Much of that volume traces back to state law. Under California Education Code Section 66281.8, enacted via Senate Bill 493, faculty, graduate student instructors, and specified athletics personnel, such as coaches and athletic directors, are classified as mandatory “responsible employees” who must report known or suspected sexual harassment disclosures to an appropriate school official with authority, according to FindLaw. The statute places the reporting obligation on those designated employees.
Investigations Run Well Past the Target Window
Even the cases that do move forward often take longer than campus policy intends. OPHD investigations are typically supposed to wrap up within 90 business days, but the office has reported a median duration of 117 days, the Daily Californian's reporting shows.
The California State Auditor described UC guidance calling for a standard 30-day extension period, good-cause guidance, and communication with the parties. Complainants whose cases never reach a formal investigation are not left entirely without options; they can still receive no-contact directives, which may include class-section changes, temporary housing access, or academic adjustments like excused absences or extra time.
Survivor Support Center Absorbs Budget Cuts
The PATH to Care Center, Berkeley's confidential survivor advocacy unit, provides resources including accompaniment to medical care, safe housing, and financial guidance, and helps survivors who choose to report to police or OPHD. But the center cut back services starting in November 2024, and its survivor support team still served 289 individuals and provided roughly 1,152 SVSH-related appointments in fiscal year 2025, per the Daily Californian's reporting. A thread on r/berkeley described the center eliminating its 24/7 crisis phone line; the Peer Educator program also faced cuts.
ASUC student representatives have said reduced PATH to Care staffing and program cuts could compromise how accessible, timely, and high-quality student support remains going forward. The center has faced reduced staffing capacity and the expiration of time-limited positions, the report notes, on top of cuts to its Peer Educator program.
Advocates Hear the Frustration Directly
Students who feel stuck in the system often turn to the ASUC Student Advocate's Office, which offers grievance caseworkers to support survivors through the reporting process. Those caseworkers can guide clients through possible case resolutions and reach out to OPHD when clients have not heard back, the Daily Californian reports.
ASUC Student Advocate Reena Alsakaji said caseworkers regularly field concerns from students about delayed responses, investigation decisions, and confusion over which resolution pathways even apply to their case. That frustration echoes concerns raised in Hoodline's prior coverage of a civil lawsuit filed in Alameda County Superior Court against former Cal head softball coach Chelsea Spencer and the UC Regents, which alleged OPHD received two misconduct reports regarding Spencer in June 2025 and a similar report the following week. Spencer ended her tenure with the team in June.
Advocates have also pointed to longstanding concerns in Berkeley athletics. Hoodline has described years of unaddressed abuse complaints involving former head swimming coach Teri McKeever and referred to a 2023 independent investigation. The University of California also has an Anti-Discrimination Policy.
