Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano
As you know, on June 12 President Benson directed me to create a plan to break down the organizational silos related to the university’s response to incidents of sexual assault and intimate partner abuse, and to ensure that our campus leadership and community are well trained on policies in these important areas. Today I am writing to provide you with an update on how this work will be carried out.
First, as we undertake this work together, I am asking the campus to look at these issues holistically and comprehensively, with an eye toward ensuring that we proceed as a well-connected and integrated community. By increasing education and integrating our efforts, we can provide better-coordinated and informed responses to questions about policies and procedures and ensure immediate access to our care and support services when needed.
Second, I am asking that we go beyond simply responding to the President’s direction, and make the higher commitment to elevate and integrate our department-based efforts into the larger structure of the university. My specific goals are to:
- Ensure that our nationally recognized Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance be understood by all as the most essential partner to help departments address questions of sexual assault, sexual misconduct and intimate partner abuse and to ensure affected parties are aware of and have access to campus support services;
- Integrate our department of intercollegiate athletics more fully into the fabric of the university;
- Create greater clarity across campus both on our policies and our prevention and response goals related to sexual misconduct, which includes sexual assault, sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, intimate partner abuse and stalking;
- Develop across the campus a deeper understanding of, and reliance on, the variety of professional services the campus offers that provide care and support to individuals impacted by sexual violence, intimate partner abuse or other damaging behaviors;
- Establish our legal team as the first stop for leaders, departments and work units in understanding legal compliance responsibilities and policies and where to go for help;
- Ensure that our Strategic Relations and Communications team is recognized as the essential partner for communicating to internal and external constituents.
One department alone cannot address these issues, we must work together. I am calling upon each of these teams to ensure that they have a shared understanding of each other’s work and subject matter expertise and to communicate this shared understanding with our community.
This initiative is a top priority for our campus. I have asked Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer Kelly Fox to spearhead our efforts. She will join her work with that of other key CU Boulder leaders: Provost Russ Moore; Executive Director of Institutional Equity and Compliance and Title IX Coordinator Valerie Simons, Chief Human Resources Officer Katherine Erwin, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Rick George; Senior Managing Associate Legal Counsel Elvie Henson and Vice Chancellor for Strategic Relations and Communications Frances Draper.
With these key partners, SVC Fox will develop and oversee implementation of a comprehensive approach and accompanying strategies to ensure CU Boulder is a model of integration, mutual support and clear communication. With continued focus, I am confident we will eliminate existing structural impediments to addressing sexual violence, sexual misconduct and intimate partner violence and provide support to those who are impacted.
In a few weeks, I will update you again as I prepare to submit a full progress report to President Benson. In the meantime, my thanks to all of you for your support of these vital efforts at transforming and improving our culture and community at CU Boulder.
Philip P. DiStefano,
Chancellor
