Official Statement on OCR Investigation

Statement from Knox College President Teresa Amott:

The United States Department of Education today (May 1) released a list of 55 institutions of higher education that are being investigated by its Office for Civil Rights for allegations of discrimination under Title IX. Knox College is included on the list, along with a number of small liberal arts colleges and larger universities.

This past January, Knox College received notification from the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (Region V) that it had opened an investigation into a complaint alleging that Knox College had discriminated on the basis of sex in its response to a complaint of sexual misconduct. As part of its investigation, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) requested a number of College records, including information on College policies and procedures. Since January, the College has worked diligently to comply with the OCR's initial and subsequent requests for information and has made available the requested materials. As is typical of its fact-finding in these types of matters on college campuses, the OCR will conduct a site visit the week of May 19th to interview College officials with regard to the allegations and to meet with selected groups of students to discuss their campus experience.

Starting this past summer, Knox College undertook a significant review of its policies addressing discrimination under Title IX and, in particular, identified ways that we could strengthen our response to acts of sexual misconduct. To that end, we have trained a number of individuals to join the College's Title IX team and charged them with working to keep our campus free from discrimination and harassment. The College also formed a Task Force on Sexual Assault Prevention and Response that meets weekly under the leadership of Title IX Coordinator and Associate Dean of the College Lori Schroeder. The Task Force, in conjunction with the Title IX team, has developed a number of new initiatives: new print and web materials, campus-wide educational events, bystander intervention training, a confidential support group for survivors, and a new position for a counselor for violence prevention and educational outreach.

Over the years, the higher education community has learned a great deal from the improvements in campus practices adopted by colleges and universities working in partnership with the Office of Civil Rights. I know I speak for the entire Knox College community when I pledge the College's full cooperation with the OCR's inquiry and our shared goal of providing a safe and respectful educational climate for every member of the Knox community.