LEXINGTON, Va. (AP) — Federal officials are investigating a complaint alleging Washington and Lee University discriminated against a female student after she reported a sexual assault.

Washington and Lee University President Kenneth Ruscio announced the investigation on Saturday in a letter to students, faculty and staff, The Roanoke Times (http://bit.ly/1a4lG7z) reported.

Ruscio’s letter said the female student alleged the university subjected her to unequal and overly restrictive confidentiality requirements during and after grievance proceedings. Ruscio also wrote that the student alleged that the university didn’t provide her with appropriate protective measures during the proceedings, the newspaper said.

“As I have written to you on several occasions this year and will reiterate here, sexual assault is unacceptable anywhere and runs counter to our institution’s fundamental values. Nothing is more important than the welfare of our students. We are committed to providing effective education for all our students in this area, to fair processes for investigating, resolving and adjudicating claims of sexual assault, and to responding to the federal and state guidelines and directives,” Ruscio wrote.

Ruscio’s letter said he was notified of the U.S. Department of Education’s investigation last week.

The university will cooperate with the agency’s Office of Civil Rights, which also will review the university’s policies and procedures, the letter said.

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Information from: The Roanoke Times, http://www.roanoke.com