UI clarifies sexual-misconduct policy
UI officials have made final revisions to the student sexual-misconduct policy — but they say they are prepared to amend the code if needed.
In an e-mail to the UI community on Monday afternoon, Thomas Rocklin, the interim vice president for Student Services, wrote that the judicial procedure for sexual-assault cases has officially changed. Except for this week’s amendment, the university’s policy was approved last December by the state Board of Regents.
All sexual-misconduct complaints — including sexual assault, sexual harassment, and sexual intimidation — will now be tried under the Judicial Procedures for Allegations of Sexual Misconduct guidelines and not resolved under the Judicial Procedure for Alleged Violations. Instead, the latter will be only be used for non-sexual violence or harassment charges.
Several UI officials said they are pleased with the new policy — they worked with the Department of Justice and outside consultants to revise the code.
“I think the policy does a number of things that takes us in the right direction,” said Monique DiCarlo, the UI’s sexual-misconduct-response coordinator, and the amended code outlines what sexual misconduct is.
The policy defines sexual misconduct as “any unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature that is committed without consent or by force, intimidation, coercion, or manipulation.”
“This is an important step that gives us confidence the student will be provided with services to make sure the complaint is adequately handled,” said Jonathan Carlson, the senior associate to UI President Sally Mason.
One of the major modifications from the December 2008 revision tells students to contact the UI sexual-misconduct-response coordinator, who is a confidential source. The other directs administrators who want to file student sexual misconduct complaints to the Office of the Vice President for Student Services.
DiCarlo said the new policy also lays out what consent is and puts responsibility on the person who is initiating the activity.
“Something may happen to someone that they may not think is sexual abuse, but it falls under the umbrella,” she said.
The new policy comes after the UI received criticism last year for mishandling a sexual-assault case allegedly involving two Hawkeye football players and a female student-athlete in Hillcrest Residence Hall in October 2007. The state Board of Regents requested an investigation by the Stolar Partnership, whose report contended that Phillip Jones, then the UI vice president for Student Services, and Marcus Mills, then the UI vice president for Legal Affairs, didn’t handle the case appropriately. Mason fired Jones and Mills shortly after the report.
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