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Emerald on sexual assaults and JH’s desultory prevention efforts

Letter from the Emerald news editor:

Our coverage is intended to educate those who are unaware of the issue, to engage the UO community in the conversations defining our response to the issue and to inspire every member of the UO community to stand up against sexual violence in their own way.

We need to maintain our focus on this important issue until college campuses are no longer a breeding ground for sexual violence. Until survivors of such hideous crimes feel safe and comfortable seeking support from their friends and the administration. Until the rape culture stops. Until no member of campus is objectified or violated in any way, shape or form.

Only together can we overcome the cultural and political obstacles that stand in our way.

Sami Edge

The Emerald editorial page editors have a piece here calling for more cooperation.

Lauren Garetto on the effort to reform Greek Life:

Even while FSL is implementing programs to address sexual assault, Smidt believes that it will take more time.

“To see a significant change between last year and this would surprise me,” Smidt said. “It’s not sufficient time to have an entire overhaul of intervention prevention culture, etc.”

ASUO Sen. Andrew Lubash, who headed the resolution, also believes that it won’t be enough time to change a culture.

“I think certain things have definitely been improved recently. They’ve done work on the task force that they’ve started, and started having conversations about it,” Lubash said. “But have wild reforms happened? No.”

In addition, Lubash says that he sees a lack of follow through from the task force.

“The fact that a task force exists is great, but until they start actually doing things and educating Greek Life people and all that stuff, change isn’t going to happen,” Lubash said. “This kind of change takes a lot of time.”

Justin Shukas, director of Fraternity and Sorority Life disagreed. He said that the task force is constantly working to implement programs that will be more effective.

A review piece by Sami Edge. This part is news to me:

“Hiring additional staff members that have the skill and the passion to help with these issues has already doubled our efforts in terms of designing effective programs and having more visibility on the campus,” Eyster said via email. According to Eyster, there is also a new training program that will launch in fall 2015 that will engage UO’s freshman population.

On what is supposed to happen when a student reports a sexual assaults, by Alexandra Wallachy:

Cases first go through the Office of Affirmative Action & Equal Opportunity, which oversees Title IX compliance.

“When that report comes forward we really are working on having a victim-centered and sensitive response,” Penny Daugherty, director of the AAEO, said in an email.

The Office of the Dean of Students will be the first contact with the accuser. It provides information on resources and services.

The AAEO then invites the student to learn about the process for holding the accused accountable. After that, the AAEO asks the student if they want to engage in the process.

What will the new assistant vice president for sexual assault do? by Francesca Fontana:

On April 3, Interim President Scott Coltrane announced the University of Oregon’s plan to fight sexual assault. The plan includes the hiring of a new assistant vice president, whoseresponsibilities will include the coordination of the university’s responses to Title IX inquiries and complaints, as well as leading the university’s efforts to reduce sexual violence on campus.

Currently, these responsibilities fall upon Penny Daugherty, the university’s Title IX officer and director of the Office of Affirmative Action & Equal Opportunity. According to Daugherty, this position will not replace her own, but instead will focus exclusively on Title IX, which will ensure that there is someone who can devote ongoing attention to all areas related to Title IX.

Daugherty’s title will change to deputy Title IX coordinator with a focus on investigations. She will remain director of the AAEO.

“So with that person taking on that coordinating role, I’m actually going to be able to focus specifically on the investigations, where this person then can be working on looking at all of the other pieces that go along with Title IX compliance,” Daugherty said.

So, basically Johnson Hall doesn’t trust Daugherty with the Title IX job. But rather than fire her, they’re creating a new position to take it over. But the new position reports to yet another problematic administrator, VPSL Robin Holmes. What a joke. People have been calling for the university administration to fire Daugherty for years, for various forms of incompetence. Gottfredson’s Task Force called for a review of her office’s performance. Coltrane has done nothing. Is one reason Daugherty’s willingness to break the university’s Affirmative Action hiring rules when it comes to administrators like AVP for Collaboration Chuck Triplett?

One Comment

  1. Working GTF 05/04/2015

    “‘When that report comes forward we really are working on having a victim-centered and sensitive response,’ Penny Daugherty, director of the AAEO, said in an email.”

    This is a lie, and she knew it was when she wrote it.

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