According to a Monday afternoon email from Deputy Provost Stephanie Spangler, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will be making a visit to campus on Oct. 2 and Oct. 3 as part of its ongoing agreement to monitor Yale’s progress in complying with Title IX requirements.
Sixteen students and alumni filed a complaint against the University in 2011 alleging that the University fostered a hostile sexual environment. The complaint prompted a 15-month investigation from the OCR into Yale’s sexual misconduct prevention and response programs. The investigation was concluded through a “voluntary resolution agreement” where Yale agreed to continue implementing a series of improved sexual misconduct initiatives and regularly report on its progress to the OCR.
The OCR is required by the Freedom of Information Act to make its records public upon request, Spangler said in the email. Students and staff who approach the OCR are also protected against any retaliation, the email said.
Read Spangler’s email below:
To Yale College students,
I am writing on behalf of the Office for Civil Rights, which, as part of the voluntary resolution with the University, will have representatives on campus on October 2nd and 3rd. I encourage any undergraduate who wishes to email or speak with these representatives to do so. The message from the Office for Civil Rights follows below.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Spangler
Stephanie S. Spangler, M.D.
Deputy Provost for Health Affairs and Academic Integrity
University Title IX CoordinatorMessage from the Office for Civil Rights
“The Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education (“OCR”) is monitoring the Voluntary Resolution Agreement signed by Yale on June 11, 2012. OCR has responsibility for enforcing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in colleges and universities that receive Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education. Title IX requires such schools to respond to notice of potential sex discrimination, which can include sexual harassment and sexual violence. For more information about OCR and sexual harassment, you may visit: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/sexharassresources.html.
As part of this monitoring effort, OCR staff will be visiting the campus on October 2nd and October 3rd. If you would like to speak with us in-person while we are onsite, please contact OCR by email at: OCR.Boston@ed.gov no later than Friday, September 27th and include “Yale” in the subject line.
We would also like to inform you that Title IX prohibits intimidation or retaliation against any person who participates in an OCR proceeding. Please note that although the Freedom of Information Act requires OCR to make its records available to the public upon request, we will exempt from release any information that would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy, such as the identity of persons who participate in an OCR proceeding. We can answer questions regarding the confidentiality of any information you may choose to share with our staff.
We thank you in advance for your assistance.”