On August 4, the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights began investigating K-State for how the university handles sexual assault cases. The growing list of institutions under investigation currently sits at 76.
The investigation will seek to determine whether K-State violated Title IX in its handling of sexual violence cases. The probe could take anywhere from one year to several years. However, the fact that K-State is under investigation does not necessarily mean that any wrongdoing occurred.
Universities have been consistently held to a higher standard by the Office for Civil Rights, and lately, this issue has come under more scrutiny. We want to meet and exceed the guidelines they set forth, and we’ve started by increasing training for faculty, staff and students, especially on Title IX.
The K-State Women’s Center is one department that has worked tirelessly to promote a safe campus and help victims in the recovery process. For more information about their services, see their website: http://www.k-state.edu/womenscenter/.
This fall, we are enhancing the Women’s Center and renaming it the Center for Advocacy, Response, and Education (CARE), which will offer confidential help for victims, bystander intervention training, and information on dating and relationships. With two full-time coordinators, CARE will expand the Women’s Center’s mission of promoting a safe campus.
“The untold story is the tremendous effort our student life folks have undergone for years to make sure our students have a safe environment,” wrote Jeffrey Morris, vice president of communication and marketing, in an email on Thursday. “The current media attention will continue, more and more schools will be added as it just takes one complaint to be on the list. Some in the media are trying to create the narrative that universities have turned a blind eye to this issue, which is most certainly not the case at Kansas State.”
As student body president and vice president, we support bystander education to stop these terrible crimes before they happen. We are a family at K-State, and we have a reputation for treating others with respect. This culture is something to be proud of, but we also must accept the reality that violent actions happen.
As the elected representatives of the student body, we promise to ensure that K-State never winds up under investigation. We and our university administration are dedicated to ensuring the safety and support of all students, as is stated in the K-State Principles of Community:
We affirm the inherent dignity and value of every person and strive to maintain an atmosphere of justice based on respect for each other.
We affirm the value of human diversity for community.
We affirm the right of each person to freely express thoughts and opinions in a spirit of civility and decency. We believe that diversity of views enriches our learning environment, and we promote open expression within a climate of courtesy, sensitivity, and mutual respect.
We affirm the value of honesty and integrity. We will operate with honesty in all professional endeavors and expect the same from our colleagues.
We acknowledge that we are a part of multiple communities, and we have an obligation to be engaged in a positive way with our civic partners.
We recognize our individual obligations to the university community and to the principles that sustain it. We will each strive to contribute to a positive spirit that affirms learning and growth for all members of the community.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
K-State Proud,
Reagan and Cody