Sexual assaults at Baylor prompted other schools to examine policies

Texas Baptist universities’ concern about sexual violence didn’t begin when some Baylor University athletes were convicted of sexual assault and regents launched an investigation that ultimately led to the departure of Baylor’s president, head football coach and athletic director.

But the situation at Baylor prompted some other schools affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas to examine—and, in certain cases, revise—policies and procedures related to sexual abuse, assault or harassment.

Related articles about Title IX:

Texas Baptist universities educate students about sexual assault prevention

Policies and resources in place for survivors of campus sexual violence
 

DBU president appoints task force

When Dallas Baptist University trustees named Adam Wright president-elect in May, his first email to trustees focused on that issue.

“There were many very good things DBU was already doing before I took office,” he said of the school’s response to sexual violence. “However, there was more we thought we could do at DBU.”

So, Wright appointed a task force to amend the university’s policy on sexual misconduct and implement new initiatives to protect students.

ETBU adds departments

Likewise, when East Texas Baptist University trustees elected Blair Blackburn as president last year, he almost immediately put into place some of the nationally accepted “best practices” in higher education he learned when he was executive vice president at DBU.

But in recent months, ETBU implemented additional changes, creating a department of security, compliance and accountability and an office of women’s support services, Blackburn noted.

“Both of these departments were created this year in light of the multiple news reports citing the lack of support other higher education institutions have provided to students involved in incidents of sexual assault,” said Heather Hadlock, vice president for student affairs at ETBU.

“The department of security, compliance and accountability works to establish a safe and secure campus environment, while ensuring the university is in compliance with the Clery Act, Violence Against Women Act, NCAA requirements and other reporting agencies,” she said.

The office for women’s support services addresses academic, social, spiritual and emotional development needs of female students, along with their health and safety concerns, she explained.

In addition to educational programs and events related to health and well-being, violence prevention and survivor support, and victim advocacy, the office also focuses on leadership development, career and life-skill enhancement, social and professional networking opportunities, Bible study, prayer and discipleship.

Services offered include individual consultations, crisis assistance, referral to women’s agencies and social-service organizations, biblical counseling, mentoring, support groups, volunteer opportunities and a variety of seminars, workshops and conferences.

Title IX compliance

A key issue for all schools that receive federal financial aid is compliance with Title IX, the law that states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

In November 2014, Baylor University hired Patty Crawford as the school’s first full-time Title IX coordinator. In recent months, Baylor expanded its Title IX office in response to the Pepper Hamilton law firm’s investigation into sexual misconduct, as well as the 105 recommendations the firm provided.

In a June 29 letter to the “Baylor Family,” Interim President David Garland reported Baylor now has one of the largest Title IX staffs in the Big 12 Conference. 

No other school affiliated with the BGCT—all significantly smaller than Baylor—has a full-time Title IX coordinator. However, each has someone on staff who carries that responsibility in addition to other duties.

Wayland Baptist University has Title IX co-coordinators—the associate dean of the School of Behavioral and Social Science and the director of institutional research and effectiveness. They work with trained investigators.

Likewise, at Howard Payne University, two administrators share responsibility for Title IX compliance—the vice president for student life and dean of students, who coordinates information for students and addresses student concerns and complaints, and the associate vice president for business and human resources, who handles similar matters related to university employees.

The other BGCT-affiliated universities’ Title IX coordinators are:

• director of human resources at DBU
• dean for student engagement at Hardin-Simmons University
• vice president for financial operations at Houston Baptist University
• vice president for human resources at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
• vice president for student affairs at ETBU and Baptist University of the Américas.

At DBU and Hardin-Simmons, the Title IX coordinator reports directly to the president on matters related to sexual misconduct.

The director of residence life serves as deputy Title IX coordinator at DBU.

In addition, DBU has in place an advocates for campus trust and safety committee, appointed by the president, that includes a cross-section of campus life—academics, student affairs, human resources and athletics, among other areas.

“The role of this committee is to help coordinate the overall education and prevention efforts for the campus community related to sexual misconduct and serve as an investigative and decision-making body when sexual misconduct violations are alleged,” Wright said.

In her role as Title IX coordinator at ETBU, the vice president for student affairs works with three deputy coordinators—the senior vice president for financial affairs serves staff; the assistant provost serves faculty; and the director of security, compliance and accountability serves students.

This year, ETBU also established a Title IX committee composed of the coordinator and three deputy coordinators, the provost and vice president for academic affairs, and the vice president for athletics and director of athletics.

Amnesty policies in place

When Pepper Hamilton presented its findings to the Baylor regents, the law firm recommended the university revise its Title IX policies “to include a clear amnesty provision for violation of the sexual conduct policy.”

In other words, a student who violated prohibitions on premarital sex, recreational drug use or underage drinking and subsequently was sexually assaulted should be able to report the abuse without fear of losing a scholarship or being expelled.

All Texas Baptist universities now have in place provisions that grant students immunity from disciplinary action for campus policy violations when they report sexual violence.

“Students who come forward to report an incident of sexual assault/abuse will not be penalized if the assault occurred in conjunction with other violations of the university student code of conduct,” Hadlock said regarding ETBU’s policy.

“Our goal at that time is not to address the violation of the student code of conduct but to provide support and all the necessary resources to help the student through a time of physical, emotional and spiritual recovery.”

When sexual assault occurs, the primary goal is to encourage reporting of sexual violence, and that means students need to understand clearly they will not be punished for code violations, some university officials emphasized.

“UMHB clearly communicates to students that if they report a sexual assault, they will not be disciplined for alcohol or other conduct violations which must be disclosed in the course of reporting the assault,” said Paula Tanner, vice president for communications and special projects at UMHB. “Our victim information brochure also states this specifically.”