Joint Committee updates community on next steps to address student concerns regarding Title IX

On Wednesday, May 15, the Faculty-Student Committee on Sexual Misconduct and the University Student Life Committee issued a statement outlining their next steps following a joint committee meeting on Monday with students concerned about the handling of sexual misconduct issues on campus. Building on their work over the past several years to strengthen Princeton's policies in this area, the Committees detailed a series of steps that will help reinforce Princeton's commitment to be a safe, supportive and fair environment, free from sexual misconduct and all forms of discrimination.

Faculty-Student Committee on Sexual Misconduct and University Student Life Committee Next Steps for Addressing Student Concerns Regarding Title IX

On Monday, May 13, the Faculty-Student Committee on Sexual Misconduct and the University Student Life Committee met with a delegation of concerned students to begin a dialogue around issues related to how sexual misconduct matters are adjudicated on campus.

Over the past several years, these standing Committees have brought forward a number of positive changes to the University’s policies regarding sexual misconduct and other issues of student concern, and we welcome the opportunity to further strengthen our policies and procedures.  We all take the concerns raised by the students seriously, and Monday’s meeting represented the beginning of a constructive conversation that we hope will involve the entire community.

Coming out of Monday’s discussion, the Committees have outlined several immediate next steps, and work will continue to evolve as discussions continue. The Committees will keep the community informed on their progress.

• The Committees have established an email address to receive comments, suggestions and concerns: facultystudentcommittee@princeton.edu.
• The Committees will schedule additional meetings with the student delegation over the summer. To facilitate broad community engagement and ensure that a wide range of perspectives are heard, the Committees will also meet with a number of other community members and student organizations over the summer and in the fall, when students have returned to campus.
• The Committees are working together with the student delegation to identify a neutral third party to facilitate a town hall style listening session. This listening session will be an opportunity for the community to provide input to the Committees. The student delegation and the Committees discussed their mutual concerns about this format but agreed that it should be one of several vehicles for the campus community to express their concerns and make suggestions.  We are working together to have this meeting take place as soon as possible before the end of the spring 2019 term.
• The Committees anticipate issuing a final report in fall 2019.  However, we note that the U.S. Department of Education plans to issue new mandatory regulations prescribing how schools must investigate and adjudicate sexual misconduct matters. The University’s ability to implement any recommendations made in the Committees’ final report may be affected by the anticipated regulations.
• While we address the concern of adequate funding for students seeking off-campus mental health services, we would also like to direct students in need of financial support for these costs to resources currently available through the Office of the Dean for Undergraduate Students, the Graduate School, the Office of the Vice President for Campus Life, and University Health Services. These programs include an exclusive provider network for mental/behavioral health for students on the Student Health Plan, a mental health loan program, and special needs or medical expense assistance programs.

These steps are in addition to the external review of the Title IX office that was announced at the end of last week.  The University is in the process of identifying an appropriate outside party to conduct the review, which was requested by Title IX Coordinator Michele Minter and Director of Gender Equity and Title IX Administration Regan Crotty.

Princeton University is committed to ensuring that all of its community members can learn, work, and thrive in a safe, supportive, and fair environment, free from sexual misconduct and all forms of discrimination.  The Committees are committed to working together with the Princeton community to ensure that our common goals are achieved.

Joint Committee of the Faculty-Student Committee on Sexual Misconduct and the University Student Life Committee Members
Sandra Bermann, Cotsen Professor, Humanities and Comparative Literature
W. Rochelle Calhoun, Vice President for Campus Life and co-chair of the University Student Life Committee
Brandice Canes-Wrone, Vice Dean, Woodrow Wilson School, Director of the Center for the Study of Democratic Politics and Donald E. Stokes Professor for Public and International Affairs
Kathleen Deignan, Dean of Undergraduate Students
Nicolas Gregory '22 and co-chair of the University Student Life Committee
Hendrik Hartog, Professor of American Law and Liberty
Frederick Hughson, Professor of Molecular Biology
Peyton Lawrenz '19
Michele Minter, Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity and co-chair of the Faculty-Student Committee on Sexual Misconduct
Mai Nguyen 'GS Psychology & co-chair for the University Student Life Committee
Abigail Novick ‘GS Neuroscience
Lisa Schreyer, Associate Dean for Student Life, Graduate School
J. Nicole Shelton, Stuart Professor of Psychology and co-chair for the Faculty-Student Committee on Sexual Misconduct
Nick Wu '19
Zarnab Virk '20 & President of Undergraduate Student Government
Bridgett vonHoldt, Assistant Professor for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Michael Zhang 'GS, Art and Archaeology