Dean of Students Michael Sanseviro, between 2019 and 2020, 180 Title IX cases were reported to the Dean of Students. Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 prevents sex discrimmination in any educational institution that is federally funded, which includes sex-based violence.
Of the total 180 cases, 19 didn’t charge the accused after a full investigation, and 36 resulted in the accused being found responsible, eight investigations remain open and two cases are awaiting a decision.
The other 115 were closed for various reasons — for example, the accused wasn’t a student, the complainant didn’t respond or provide additional information, or the complainant or the accused was unidentifiable.
There have been 214 sexual misconduct violations; however, the number of violations can exceed the number of cases because more than one violation can be applied to one case.
Last week, the week of June 8, six cases were reported. Non-consensual sexual contact was identified in three incidents, sexual harassment twice, sexual exploitation once and two violation types are unknown.
The Sexual Misconduct Board seats ten faculty and staff members. Currently, there are eight members and two vacant seats. Members new and old are required to attend training by the University System of Georgia.
Sexual misconduct training is provided by the Sexual Misconduct Awareness Risk Reduction Training group. The Office of the Dean of Students oversees both the Sexual Misconduct Awareness Risk Reduction Training group and the Men in Violence Prevention Initiative.
The sexual misconduct training uses practices from the International Institute for Restorative Practices and covers the Dean of Students’ sexual misconduct policy. In order to measure a student’s success in the training program, a questionnaire is given to assess their decision-making and critical thinking.
