(MyFoxBoston.com) -- Six Massachusetts institutions were on a list released by the U.S. Department of Education Thursday of 55 colleges and universities facing Title IX sex abuse investigations.
The Massachusetts schools on the list include Amherst College, Boston University, Emerson College, Harvard College, Harvard University—Law School and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Below is a list of their full statements regarding the investigations.
Amherst College:
In November 2013, the media reported on the filing of an Office of Civil Rights complaint against Amherst College by two individuals. The Education Department today has provided a single online listing that includes Amherst as well as the other institutions against which complaints have apparently been filed.
At Amherst, we continue to confront one of the most serious challenges facing colleges and universities across the country-sexual misconduct. In the fall of 2012, a group of articulate and courageous students disclosed a range of problems in the College's previous efforts to prevent and respond to incidents of sexual misconduct. Since then, we have made important changes and will continue to do so. We are deeply committed to meeting all the requirements of federal law and, more than that, holding ourselves to the highest-possible standards in meeting the needs of our students.
The range of changes we have made so far in our policies, practices and personnel are highlighted on our Sexual Respect website. These efforts include an adjudication process that involves specially-trained, non-campus experts; new educational programs aimed at cultural change on campus; and the addition of new staff, including four new members of our Counseling Center, a Title IX Coordinator and a Sexual Respect Educator. The difficult work of addressing sexual assault and misconduct is ongoing and we are committed to working as a community to address what is, sadly, a nationwide challenge.
Boston University:
OCR is investigating a single complaint against the University that was filed in October 2013. While we believe the University provided the student with a prompt and equitable resolution of the complaint in full accordance with the requirements of Title IX, we are cooperating fully with OCR in its investigation and are always open to improving the manner in which we respond to any incident of sexual misconduct reported to us.
Emerson College:
We support our students who have come forward to advocate for change in this important national issue. To protect the privacy of our students, however, we cannot comment on specific cases.
Emerson has been working diligently with our students, faculty, and staff to expand our education and sexual assault prevention programs. We have taken a number of steps to provide a way forward for improving safety and supporting students who have experienced sexual assault.
During this academic year, our actions have included hiring a Director of Violence Prevention and Sexual Assault Response Advocate and the retention of an experienced consulting firm to conduct an external and independent review of Emerson's Title IX and Clery Act policies, procedures, and practices related to sexual assault.
We have also strengthened our educational and training programs; revised our survivors rights and options resource materials on our website and in printed brochures; and written, distributed, and implemented a new Campus SaVE Policy. In addition, the search for a new Title IX coordinator position, recently approved by Emerson's Board of Trustees, will commence shortly.
Harvard University:
Harvard, as a University and as a community, continues to take the issue of sexual harassment and sexual violence extremely seriously. In that context, Harvard has taken a number of steps to foster prevention efforts and to support students who have experienced sexual misconduct.
Last spring, Harvard appointed the first-ever University Title IX officer, who has since identified and trained Title IX coordinators at every Harvard School. In May 2013, Harvard's newly appointed University Title IX Officer convened a working group from across Harvard's schools to review existing policies and procedures. Over the course of last summer and fall, that group worked to develop a new Title IX policy that would apply to all students, staff, and faculty at every School or other unit at Harvard.
In recent weeks, Harvard formally submitted the completed policy and procedures to the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights (OCR) for their review. After any OCR feedback is received, Harvard will move quickly to announce and implement them. Once in place, the new policy and procedures will significantly enhance how Harvard responds to incidents of sexual misconduct among University students, faculty and staff.
In addition, President Faust recently announced the creation of a University-wide task force - composed of faculty, students and staff - that will recommend how we can better prevent sexual misconduct at Harvard. Additional information about the task force - which is being chaired by former Harvard Provost and former Director of the National Institute for Mental Health, Dr. Steven D. Hyman - is located here.
University of Massachusetts - Amherst:
The inclusion of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in a list released today by the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault is related to a standard compliance review. The university is not the subject of a Title IX complaint.
"The Task Force has done outstanding work in providing strategies to prevent sexual assault, respond compassionately to victims and hold perpetrators accountable," said Enku Gelaye, vice chancellor for student affairs and campus life. "We fully support their work, and we have already been actively engaged in implementing many of the best practices recommended by the Task Force. Much more must be done to safeguard our students and we are committed to that effort."
Under Title IX, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) in the Department of Education regularly conducts proactive compliance reviews of schools that receive federal funds. A review of UMass Amherst was conducted starting June 30, 2011 and no conclusions have been reached.
In two broadcast e-mail communications to the campus community, the university explained the purpose of the review and encouraged participation. A message from the Chancellor's Office noted, "Compliance reviews are designed to address systemic issues and ensure that violations are readily identified and promptly eliminated. We applaud the work of the OCR and are confident that any information that results from this compliance review will have a direct and positive impact throughout the University."
Gelaye observed that prevention of sexual assault is a major concern of the university as reflected by the launch this year of the Umatter at UMass campaign, which includes extensive bystander intervention training for students and employees. The outreach effort was featured in a New York Times' Education Life story on Feb. 7, 2014. Gelaye also noted that UMass Amherst has conducted campus climate surveys for the past three years, collaborates with campus stakeholders through a Title IX Committee process, revised its Code of Student Code to strengthen its sexual misconduct policy and is launching a Men and Masculinity Center to engage men on this issue.
Community partnerships and confidential, trauma informed support resources were also identified by the Task Force as an important element in support and prevention. The Center for Women & Community has been housed at UMass Amherst for 40 years. It has supported thousands of survivors of sexual assault, and offered countless hours of sexual assault prevention education to the campus and broader community.
"The CWC recently received a $270,000 federal grant to strengthen its efforts. Last year, the CWC sexual assault hotline responded to more than 500 hotline calls from area college students and provided crisis intervention and support to 227 victims of violence affiliated with the Five Colleges, " said Becky Lockwood, associate director of Counseling and Rape Crisis Services at the Center for Women & Community.
Cox Media Group
