Consistent progress in Sexual Assault Policy

The University of Toledo announced recently that a sexual assault counselor and a domestic violence counselor are going to be hired, and a Center for Student Advocacy and Wellness will be developed. The changes are being funded by a grant UT received from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. UT has been working consistently to redeem its sexual assault policies in order to aptly comply with Title IX, a federal law forbidding discrimination based on sex in educational institutions. The IC commends this move, acknowledging these hires as an effective allocation of the grant money towards improving its policies.
UT’s policies regarding sexual misconduct and violence were questioned when a complaint was lodged by a sexual assault survivor, who said her case was mishandled by the university. In September 2014, an anonymous female student who was the victim said she felt she was questioned and antagonized more than the perpetrator during the investigation. The survivor also alleged a disregard of the Rape Trauma Syndrome she was experiencing. She lodged a complaint with the university.
In a September 2013 incident, a female sexual assault survivor felt that the university’s victim resources were inadequate. She added that guidelines in the situation were hazy and there wasn’t a system in place to address challenges the survivor will face in the educational and university experience.
Additionally, former UT softball coach Tarrah Beyster filed a Title IX suit in October 2014. In her suit, she claimed UT was discriminating based on sex, and the male coaches and male student athletes and games were given preferential treatment. One of the complaints elaborated on the way in which UT used to assign the referees and umpires to the women coaches’ locker rooms. It was quite concerning to read that referees and umpires would walk in on sometimes-naked female coaches all the time.
These cases and complaints, especially concerning the sexual assault survivor’s speaking out in 2014, caused an outcry among the UT community, and we wrote an editorial strongly criticizing the university for the handling of the issue. The university promised change, and we demanded that their promise be kept.
UT hired the law firm Ballard Spahr LLP to review its policies as a response to the Title IX incidents, and in October 2015 changes were recommended to UT in accordance with Title IX rules and regulations. Though it is disappointing that it took a mishandled sexual assault case to bring about these steps, we commend UT for being consistent in their steps to redeem past mistakes.
Some of the steps UT vowed to take are: hiring a new Title IX coordinator, clarifying and streamlining its previously confusing and contradictory policy, revising how cases are handled, implementing sexual assault educational programs across campus with increasing success and finally making a revamped website where information is readily available to all students electronically. These changes are either in the process of being implemented or have already been completed. These actions reinforce the idea that a student’s mental and physical safety and security, as well as an orderly and just system of handling sexual assault and violence cases, are some of the university’s priorities.
The above-mentioned changes were more effective in raising awareness and streamlining information on how to best evaluate a case. The latest change of bringing experts in to deal separately with sexual and domestic violence survivors, and their cases, will directly enhance survivor resources. UT has made a very effective and fitting move towards enhancing its policies by having two separate administrators to provide the distinct types of “attention�? and time necessary in the two cases.
Issues related with sexual misconduct, abuse and violence need to be handled with sensitivity and adequate attention. The survivor of sexual assault or domestic violence can be challenged with a variety of traumatizing emotions and physical afflictions. These expert advisers are important media to ensure the survivor receives the attention and information they need. UT is steadily making good on the promise they made to work toward a campus that rejects campus assault, allowing trust to be rebuilt between students and the university.