COLUMBUS (OH)
The Columbus Dispatch
August 21, 2018
By Jim Woods
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.
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