UT task force suggests expanding sexual misconduct education

8/14/2017

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Create a Title IX committee, strengthen training on preventing and reporting sexual misconduct, and reinforce a campus culture that does not tolerate sexual assault — those are just a few of the 27 recommendations submitted by a University of Toledo task force charged with reviewing practices and policies related to sexual assault awareness and prevention.

UT President Sharon Gaber in April created the 15-member Sexual Assault Awareness, Prevention and Adjudication Task Force, composed of students, faculty, staff, and UT police.

“This was not a result of any particular occurrence,” said Amy Thompson, public health professor, faculty senate president, and task force co-chairman. “This is an issue on all college campuses, and on the radar of all college presidents.”

The group’s assessment, released Monday, found UT has “consistently low reports of rape, fondling, statutory rape, domestic violence, and stalking.” Preliminary 2016 data from the UT police department shows 13 reported incidents of those categories combined, according to the report.

But the task force outlined ways in which the university can do more to both prevent sexual misconduct and to encourage those who witness or are affected by it to report it.

The recommendations include creating a Title IX committee. Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 is a federal law that states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

The task force also recommended a new requirement that all incoming students disclose criminal or student-conduct complaints filed against them and to expand existing sexual-misconduct prevention education required for first-year students to all students before the start of each academic year.

Task force co-chair Valerie Simmons Walston said it’s important for students in all grade levels to become peer leaders in sexual assault prevention and to share campus resources with their fellow students.

“We will not tolerate sexual misconduct on this campus,” she said. “And we want to make sure that we encourage every student to report any incidents of sexual misconduct on our campus.”

Ms. Thompson said the ultimate goal is for UT to be the safest place possible for students, faculty, and staff.

“Parents should feel secure in dropping their students off to attend classes here,” she said.

Bowling Green State University President Mary Ellen Mazey also launched a task force to review BGSU’s Title IX and sexual-assault policies after students protested in April against what they said is an environment in which women are blamed for their assaults and perpetrators are not held responsible for their actions.

It was in response to a rapidly shared Facebook post by a freshman who wrote that she was sexually assaulted by an acquaintance on campus and harassed after she reported the incident.

Contact Sarah Elms at selms@theblade.com, 419-724-6103 or on Twitter @BySarahElms.