George Washington University students are getting tired of waiting for the school to hire a new Title IX coordinator, even as it covers its “legal bases” regarding sexual assault with a lawyer, according to an editorial in the GW Hatchet.
The so-called “student advocate” is much more than a campus bureaucrat, said the editorial:
GW is still without a replacement for Tara Pereira, the former deputy Title IX coordinator who left her post last December.
When Pereira stepped down, students advocates were concerned they had lost their go-to administrator for sexual assault resources and support. Students across campus saw her as a higher-up who made the University feel accessible and the judicial process manageable.
For all those reasons, Pereira set a precedent during her time as deputy Title IX coordinator: By acting as a comforting figure to survivors, she was much more than a GW official.
The school showed a CYA mentality in its hiring decisions, the editorial says:
Five months after Pereira’s departure, the University hired a higher education consultant to identify gaps in GW’s sexual assault policies – reflecting a nationwide trend as schools look to safeguard themselves against litigation. …
Outside consultant Ann Franke was not hired to serve as a student ally. GW brought her on to temporarily assist Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion Terri Harris Reed, who ensures the University is in compliance with the anti-discrimination law Title IX.
Even if Reed, Franke and others are able to cover Pereira’s formal duties, the lack of a permanent successor sends a message to a student body: Choosing a lawyer before a student advocate implies that the University is taking care of itself before it takes care of survivors.
Read the full editorial here.
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