In 2011, the Office of Civil Rights released a “Dear Colleague” letter to all universities in the United States.
The document announced new sexual assault prevention and response guidelines for colleges to follow.
The IU Office of Student Ethics has since come under compliance review by the federal Office of Student Rights, a measure that has been called routine by IU Administration.
Dean of Students Harold “Pete” Goldsmith said the “Dear Colleague” letter has affected the policies of the Office of Student Ethics at IU more than most other events in recent years.
The letter said the proposed and implemented changes were to move toward adhering to Title IX — an educational amendment preventing discrimination based on sex.
“The published letter increased the standards of evidence required,” Goldsmith said. “Both the respondent and complainant can appeal, and we also changed who heard the appeals.”
Since the letter’s release, the Office of Student Ethics, which operates under the Dean of Students Office, has worked to improve its policies and standards in several ways.
The office is responsible for listening to sexual assault reports, among other instances of misconduct, and processing the cases through a campus-specific judicial system.
Most significantly, Goldsmith said, they have increased investigations on cases and employee training efforts.
Emily Springston, chief student welfare and Title IX officer, has been in her University-wide position since the fall 2014 semester. She said recent and future changes in her office, which works closely with the Office of Student Ethics to administer hearings of sexual assault cases, are incremental.
“Throughout this time, I have served as the University’s Title IX coordinator, overseeing each campus’s response to reports of sexual misconduct, as well as coordinating IU’s Student Welfare Initiative, aimed at both comprehensive response as well as prevention and education,” Springston said.
Since her time at IU, Springston’s office released a sexual misconduct policy in March 2015. This policy updated the scope of sexual assault hearings occurring on campus.
The policy restated and updated definitions of consent, discrimination and harassment. It also detailed the procedures for reporting instances of sexual misconduct, confidentiality policies and other updates to comply with Title IX legislation.
Springston said one of her office’s primary goals was to improve student outreach, so residents on and off campus can effectively understand what to do to prevent sexual assault, as well as where to go when an incident occurs.
The act of developing and altering past policies is a normal procedure within the Title IX office, Springston said. She said her colleagues look at data, student feedback and other relevant information to make decisions for upcoming years.
“In terms of change, I’ve always worked with each campus to track and consult on incoming reports of sexual misconduct, in regard to both interim measures, resources, as well as any applicable investigation,” Springston said.
Goldsmith said every change administered by the Dean of Students Office and the offices it collaborates with is deliberate, careful and in the best interest of the students.
“The Office of Student Ethics is a system on campus that is viewed as fundamentally fair, and aims to help students succeed,” Goldsmith said. “One of those ways is to prevent and oversee the things that are getting in the way of this success.”
