91¿´Æ¬

Dear 91¿´Æ¬ Community,

As you may be aware, the U.S. Department of Education has issued final regulations that put into place new legally binding requirements that will impact the way 91¿´Æ¬ and all universities that receive federal funding manage and report cases of sexual assault. I am writing to assure you that these changes will in no way compromise our commitment to creating an environment in which all members of the 91¿´Æ¬ community feel safe reporting their experiences and remain confident that their cases will be heard thoroughly, fairly, and with respect.

Through the wecan91¿´Æ¬better campaign, we heard painful stories about how survivors feel that 91¿´Æ¬ has let them down in the past. Those stories united our campus, and I made a public commitment that 91¿´Æ¬ would respond swiftly and proactively to all future incidents of gender-based violence and sexual assault.

As promised, I am writing today to provide an update to theÌýÌýand detailedÌýÌýto combat sexual harassment and assault that I shared on March 5. You can find an update to that action planÌý.

Because the new rules are complex, and require 91¿´Æ¬ to implement some new processes by August 14, we want to keep the community fully informed. Toward that end, I hope you will join me and a panel of experts and interested parties on June 16 at 3:30 pm MT forÌýAsk the Experts about Title IX: A Dedicated Town Hall. The Zoom link isÌý. Our panelists will be:

• Jeremy Enlow, interim executive director of equal opportunityÌýand Title IX coordinator, Office of Equal Opportunity & Title IX;
• Molly Hooker, interim deputy Title IX coordinator, Office of Equal Opportunity & Title IX;
• Michael J. LaFarr, interim associate vice chancellor and executive director of the Health and Counseling Center, Campus Life and Inclusive Excellence;
• Kristine McCaslin, director, student rights and responsibilities, Campus Life & Inclusive Excellence;
• Josh Richards, vice chair, of the Higher Education Practice at Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP;
• Beth Robischon, associate general counsel, Office of General Counsel;
• Kayla Rodriguez, coordinator, CAPE Advocacy Services, Health and Counseling Services;
• Jack Thomas, doctoral student in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology and member of the Healthy Masculinity Working Group; and
• Grace Wankelman, undergraduate student, Undergraduate Student Government senator, and co-founder of the wecan91¿´Æ¬better campaign.

You can find important resources onÌý, including links to theÌý, theÌýÌýon May 19 andÌýÌýfor the new Title IX process at 91¿´Æ¬. We plan to address your questions and concerns on June 16 and at other future programs. Also, we are seeking volunteers to be part of a Title IX policy/procedure advisory committee to provide feedback as we develop our new processes. Nominations can be emailed toÌýtitleix@du.edu. We welcome feedback and invite participants to help us make our process as effective and supportive as possible.

Our progress in this important area must continue and I am dedicated to ensuring it does. Please join us on June 16 to share your questions, suggestions or responses to the new federal regulations. Our unequivocal goal remains to make 91¿´Æ¬ a place where all members of our community feel safe, welcome, and supported.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Haefner
Chancellor