A provost-appointed committee at the University of Illinois has released its report on faculty sexual misconduct, which includes sweeping recommendations for reform. 

Some of the most significant include: a broader definition of what constitutes sexual harassment, a wider array of sanctions for faculty members, hiring more advisers and investigators, and asking candidates for university jobs to waive confidentiality and reveal their disciplinary records.

Professor Rob Kar chaired the committee and spoke with the local media about the report. He said that the recommendations were all unanimously supported by the 14-member committee. 

The two most important changes — and probably the most difficult to reach consensus on — were drafting a new definition of sexual harassment that won’t infringe on free speech and developing sanctions for faculty that won’t run afoul of concerns about academic freedom, Kar said.

Kar also acknowledged that the implementation of the recommended reforms will be challenging, noting that years have passed since the Board of Trustees last approved changes to guidelines for staff and faculty.

"It happens very rarely," he told NPR Illinois. 

Read the full report at illinois.edu. 

Read news reports on the release of the report at newsgazette.com and will.illinois.edu.