The President’s Review Panel spent two days on the University of Oregon campus this week beginning its examination of the UO’s practices and procedures for preventing and responding to sexual misconduct and assault. The eight-member panel is made up of experts in the fields of law, higher education, student enrollment, student life and athletics, as well as a recent UO graduate and a member of the UO Board of Trustees.
The panel members discussed the group’s organizational structure, how it will gather information and conduct its review. President Gottfredson appointed retired Oregon Court of Appeals Chief Judge Mary Deits to chair the panel.
Deits said she is honored to be part of such an important effort to enhance prevention and response practices at the University of Oregon, and to advance the national discussion about ending sexual misconduct and assault.
“We learned a vast amount of information about this issue,” said Deits. “However, it is clear that there is much more to learn about this complex and challenging subject. Each member is engaged, asked great questions and brings a unique perspective to the panel. We are creating a thorough process that, I hope, will leave no stone unturned in our effort to identify focused solutions to these real world problems.”
Deits stressed that the panel is taking a proactive look at broad practices, not investigating any specific incident or allegation.
President Gottfredson appointed the panel members in the spring as a White House taskforce issued recommendations for addressing sexual assault on college campuses. This week a group of U.S. senators introduce a bill to require campus climate surveys and beef up laws about how universities respond to sexual assault.
Gottfredson, along with Vice President for Student Life Robin Holmes and Athletic Director Rob Mullens, shared his hope that the panel will help advance the university’s top priority: ensuring the safety, security and long term interests of students.
“This is a national focus and priority for all of higher education. In fact, the pervasiveness of this issue underscores the challenges before us. As a nation and as a campus there are profound social and cultural issues to consider,” said Gottfredson. “I do believe most of our students are very safe and secure, and, by far, most do the right things and have an outstanding experience. But students come here to thrive, and safety for every student must be a given. We have an opportunity to learn from others and to lead with our actions.”
During information gathering sessions, the panel heard from staff members from several university divisions and departments about prevention and response services and practices. Those included:
- Student Life
- General Counsel
- Enrollment Management
- Affirmative Action and Title IX Investigators
- Athletics
- UO Police Department
The panel also met with the co-chairs of the University Senate’s Task Force to Address Sexual Violence and Survivor Support to discuss how the two groups might share information.
The panelists will meet again in August. Additional public sessions will be scheduled as the work of the panel proceeds to gather campus and community input.
“It is very important to us that we hear from all across campus and get many perspectives,” said Deits. “We will need to conduct individual interviews, hold forums and take written comment to be sure get a full picture of the situation.”
The next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 26 and 27. The panel will release information about the time and place of the public forum as soon as the details are arranged.
—By Jennifer Winters, Public Affairs Communications