Syracuse University administration’s consistently dismissive tone in response to the ongoing Title IX investigation at the university has been disturbing.

Apart from making it clear that there was no initial clear plan of action — which culminated in the Chancellor’s Task Force on Sexual and Relationship Violence not being made aware of the investigation until long after the fact — Chancellor Kent Syverud recently spoke to the fact that these investigations are common among institutions.

“There are several hundred active Title IX investigations going on — two more were announced in the last day at Columbia and Baylor,” Syverud said.

While the Chancellor did say things should have been done differently, diverting the focus to the abundance of Title IX investigations is unacceptable. What’s more is Syverud’s response comes after — and concerningly parallels — Equal Opportunity and Title IX Officer Sheila Johnson-Willis’ early October address to the university about the Title IX review.

“As part of the process, (The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights) also initiates a review of the University’s Title IX complaint procedures and past reports,” Johnson-Willis wrote. “This review is common. At least 275 other colleges and universities are in the midst of a similar process.”

This type of characterization by Syverud and Johnson-Willis normalizes the widespread phenomenon of Title IX investigations at colleges and universities — ultimately disregarding how serious it is to tackle sexual assault cases head on.

Yes, ongoing investigations aren’t verdicts. But the simple fact of the matter is that they are red flags to rape culture on campus and should never be understood as the status quo.

If these cases are seen as administrative commonplace by key SU leaders like Syverud and Johnson-Willis, one would think there should have been an internal and external plan for SU to not only handle sexual assault cases, but also investigations of them. This is particularly ironic considering that when SU was first notified of the investigation, it was the perfect opportunity to consult the task force — the exact personnel who were appointed to tackle sexual violence.

The frequency of Title IX investigations should not be an excuse to justify having them. Instead, it should be all the more reason to self-examine and put sexual assault at the forefront of issues that demand genuine attention from the university.

Published on October 24, 2016 at 12:05 am

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