BOWLING GREEN — Bowling Green State University President Mary Ellen Mazey announced the creation of a sexual assault task force following last week’s student protest about the treatment of sexual assault survivors.
Ms. Mazey sent a letter today to students, faculty, and staff in which she announced the launch of a task force to review BGSU’s Title IX and sexual assault policies. The group will examine the best practices of other universities across the country and offer recommendations on how “to improve the campus culture and our policies,” she wrote.
Meg Burrell, a BGSU undergraduate student who serves as a representative on the board of trustees, and Alex Solis, a BGSU graduate and former student body president who works in the president’s office, will lead the group along with Maureen Wilson, chairman of the Department of Higher Education and Student Affairs.
The task force’s 14 other members include undergraduate and graduate students, representatives from athletics and public safety, the counseling center, and offices of the dean of students office and Title IX.
“I greatly appreciate the concerns you have shared over the past week regarding the issue of sexual assault on campus, support services for victims and the processes we have in place today to report and investigate assaults,” Ms. Mazey wrote. “I want you to know that I hear your concerns, and I, along with others, will address them.”
The group will begin its work this week and those members who are available will meet throughout the summer. The task force recommendations are expected this fall, said BGSU spokesman Dave Kielmeyer.
On Thursday, more than 200 students rallied on campus to protest an environment they said blames women for assaults and fails to hold perpetrators responsible for their actions.
The protest occurred after a BGSU freshman shared a Facebook post about being sexually assaulted by an acquaintance on campus last fall and criticized the university for how it handled the investigation as well as the school’s failure to stop her reported attacker from harassing her afterward.
Chelsea Halm, 18, said today she hopes the task force’s work will help other students who have similar experiences.
“There’s a lot of other people that it’s happened to and hopefully now more people will be able to get justice,” Ms. Halm said. “I’m hoping that it actually does change something.”
She said BGSU still needs to do more — starting with removing her alleged attacker from campus and changing its admissions process to include more background checks.
The man whom she said assaulted her is a BGSU student who had been suspended by Ohio University in 2015. An Ohio University spokesman said he was found to have violated its code of conduct section that includes sexual misconduct, stalking, and relationship violence. BGSU said it did not know about his history when it accepted the student last fall.
In her campus letter, Ms. Mazey said she also will continue to host student office hours to allow students to share their ideas and concerns.
“I know there are always opportunities to improve upon what we’re doing, and I hope you all will continue to provide feedback on ways we can improve,” she wrote.
BGSU also plans to hold a news conference Wednesday to discuss its assault investigation process.
Contact Vanessa McCray at: vmccray@theblade.com or 419-724-6065, or on Twitter @vanmccray.
First Published May 1, 2017, 7:22 p.m.
