Ohio State announces new office to replace troubled Sexual Civility center

By Jim Woods
Columbus Dispatch
August 21, 2018

http://www.dispatch.com/news/20180821/ohio-state-announces-new-office-to-replace-troubled-sexual-civility-center

Ohio State University announced Tuesday the creation of a new centralized office to address issues involving sexual misconduct and gender harassment.

The school promised in June that it would create a new office by the start of fall semester, after closing its troubled Sexual Civility and Empowerment Center and eliminating four positions. The closure followed an independent review that found the center had failed to properly report and handle some students' sexual-assault complaints.

Ohio State says the new centralized office — which has yet to be given a formal name — will respond to sexual and gender-based harassment, violence and other forms of discrimination and harassment. 

"The university will continue to focus on advancing our efforts in this vital area," President Michael V. Drake said in a prepared statement.

Ohio State has been under scrutiny for its practices concerning compliance with federal Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender and also deals with issues concerning sexual harassment and sexual assault. A university that receives federal funds could be held legally responsible when it knows about or ignores such complaints.

Beyond the independent review, there also were complaints about the former Sexual Civility and Empowerment Center that survivors were subjected to victim-blaming and re-traumatizing by the center's staff. According to the complaints, victims were told they were lying or delusional, had an overactive imagination, failed to understand their own experience or fabricated their story.

The university suspended the center's operations in February, prompting complaints from students that the school was not providing victims with resources. Ohio State closed the center and brought in independent auditors to determine whether the school fulfilled its obligations to report certain sexual offenses to law enforcement, federal regulators and other authorities.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Education opened a Title IX investigation last week into how Ohio State handled allegations of sexual misconduct involving former university physician Richard Strauss. More than 100 students have made sexual abuse claims against Strauss, who killed himself in 2005.

Ohio State hired the Philadelphia firm of Cozen O'Connor in June to conduct an evaluation of the Title IX program and create a redesigned program to support victims of sexual assault. Creation of the new office is based on its interim recommendations; the law firm will deliver a full report and recommendations in the coming months.

The new office will be dedicated to helping students, faculty and staff understand their rights and make referrals to confidential campus, community resources and appropriate law-enforcement agencies, the university said in its news release.

There is staff in place and three additional people will be hired. The staff will be supervised by deputy Title IX coordinators who work in the school's Office of Human Resources.

The university also has established a phone line for those who want access to confidential resources, including psychologists and physicians. The line is available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at 614-688-3956. Confidential counseling also is available through the Office of Student Life's Counseling and Consultation and Student Health Services.