Associate Vice President for Equity Named August 14, 2020 TiShaunda R. McPherson has been named Northwestern University’s associate vice president for equity, Interim Provost Kathleen Hagerty announced. Former civil rights attorney will start Sept. 8, 2020.
Recent Policy Changes On May 6, 2020, the United States Department of Education issued its Final Rule of Title IX Sexual Harassment, effective August 14, 2020. These regulations required schools to make changes to their policy and procedures for certain types of sexual misconduct. In response, Northwestern has updated its policies accordingly.
What’s not changing:
Northwestern will continue to prohibit all forms of discrimination and harassment, including sexual misconduct, previously covered under the Policy on Discrimination and Harassment and the Policy on Sexual Misconduct.
The University will continue to respond to all reports of discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct.
What is changing:
The Policy on Discrimination and Harassment and the Policy on Sexual Misconduct have been combined into one policy, the Policy on Institutional Equity.
A subset of sexual misconduct, behavior defined as “Title IX Sexual Harassment,” will now be addressed by a new policy, the Interim Policy on Title IX Sexual Harassment. To fall under this policy, allegations must be:
Title IX Sexual Harassment: Quid Pro Quo (this for that) sexual harassment by an employee; severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex; sexual assault; dating violence; domestic violence; or stalking;
That occurred in the University’s Education Program or Activity: locations, events, and circumstances in the United States in which Northwestern exercised substantial control over both the Respondent (the person accused of violating the policy) and the context in which the alleged violation occurred (including any building owned or controlled by a student organization officially recognized by northwestern; AND
That occurred on or after August 14, 2020.
Sexual misconduct that does not fall under the purview of the Interim Policy on Title IX Sexual Harassment may be addressed under the Policy on Institutional Equity.
The process for addressing formal complaints of discrimination and harassment against a student will now be under the purview of the Office of Equity.
Northwestern commits to preventing sexual harassment in higher education April 10, 2019 Northwestern University is one of 28 founding colleges, universities and research institutions joining the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to establish an Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education.
Northwestern submits comments on proposed Title IX changes February 04, 2019 Northwestern University submitted public comments last week to the U.S. Department of Education regarding proposed amendments to federal regulations implementing Title IX.