CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Committee on Faculty Sexual Misconduct today released its report outlining 65 recommendations to change policies, processes and practices addressing sexual harassment and misconduct.
Recommendations include a new sexual harassment policy that would expand the definition of improper behaviors; new procedures to allow the university to respond to sexual misconduct “more expeditiously and in a more trauma-informed manner”; additional tools and avenues to address more instances of sexual harassment; and several measures to ensure a climate of sexual harassment intolerance. The full report is available here.
“We are committed to working with Senate leadership and campus stakeholders to begin the process of refining and implementing the recommendations,” Chancellor Robert Jones and Provost Andreas Cangellaris said in an email to campus. “We are beginning to schedule conversations with key stakeholder groups, and we will follow the appropriate process and procedures to make these policy changes.” Throughout the implementation process, the administration will coordinate efforts with the University of Illinois System Task Force on Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response.
In January, Jones and Cangellaris directed the committee to review the campus’s current policies, processes and practices, considering whether the campus should develop additional policies specifically addressing harassment and misconduct by faculty members. The committee was asked to recommend sanctions, remedies or other supportive measures in case of policy violations, as well as to identify norms and practices to maintain confidentiality of investigations and findings.
The committee included professors from across campus, Academic Senate members, Title IX officials, and representatives from the Provost’s office, Illinois Human Resources, Student Affairs and other areas.
The committee consulted with the Exploratory Group on Campus Culture, Climate, and Sexual Misconduct; the Committee on Faculty-Student Consensual Relations; and the Committee on Graduate Student Mentoring. The committee also stayed in close contact with the University of Illinois System Task Force on Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response.
Jones and Cangellaris said several of the recommendations endorse actions either already taken or currently in the process of being implemented, and they expect more progress in the next academic year.