Other schools' experiences can guide UNC-CH

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — As North Carolina's flagship university faces a deadline to answer questions about how it handles reports of sexual assault, federal officials' track record and past investigations can offer clues to the price the school may pay.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has until Thursday to respond to questions as part of a U.S. Department of Education investigation. Five women filed a complaint in January with the DOE's Office for Civil Rights, and the OCR said earlier this month it would investigate.

The OCR has never wielded its biggest stick, withdrawal of federal funding — a certain death for almost any school.

In a letter to the university community, Chancellor Holden Thorp said the school is not only cooperating with the investigation but welcomes it.