Limited information about students who use campus resources like the Advocacy Center could now be given to an SU employee to monitor patterns of repeat offenders.

The information doesn’t typically include names, though, and if a student doesn’t want their name conveyed, it won’t be. It’s not public, and there would only be some instances where names would need to be included, such as for a subpoena.

“From the standpoint of being able to address issues, people within the university do need to be in communication. So this is not about turning it over to police, or turning it over to the district attorney’s office,” said Cynthia Maxwell Curtin, SU’s Title IX compliance officer and sexual harassment officer.

“This is about limited conversations between those who have a need to know in order to assure that our complainant’s or victim’s needs are taken care of, and to make sure that the needs of the campus are taken care of.”

The new practice of sharing limited information was first talked about during the summer. The administration said it’s not a change in policy, but that SU is just improving communication. The practice — based on a combination of federal guidelines and successful practices — lets the university be more proactive against repeat offenders.

Curtin’s role as Title IX officer is to serve as a resource for students, faculty and staff. She works across campus in any issue related to a “protected category,” which includes race, gender, sexual orientation and disability.

Title IX is a law prohibiting the discrimination of sex in any education program that gets money from the federal government.

Curtin said this limited information will be shared in cases such as harassment, discrimination and sexual violence. Though the administration didn’t provide a definitive list of cases when the information would be shared, they said it would generally involve violations of faculty-staff policy, student code of conduct or criminal matters.

“But I’ll need enough information to figure out, ‘Do we have somebody who is doing this kind of conduct at parties, perhaps using a rape drug. Do we get a pattern? What kind of parties, when are they happening, do we have a pattern of this happening in a particular hall in a dormitory?’” Curtin explained.

When a student needs assistance, such as issuing a no-contact order or moving to a different location due to an emergency, Curtin said, those who provide these kinds of services would be contacted and some information from the student account would be shared.

“And that typically means, the complainant’s name is going to be known, because that person may be moving, or that person may be needing assistance with class,” she said. “So once again, that’s not a change.”

When asked if there was problem with repeat offenders at SU, Curtin said: “No. Thank goodness.”

The change is described by the administration as a new practice rather than a new policy.

Kevin Quinn, senior vice president for public affairs, said the Advocacy Center in and of itself isn’t changing. It’s still the resource students are used to, he said, and students shouldn’t be deterred from going there. Quinn emphasized again that if a student doesn’t want their name conveyed, it won’t be.

The idea for the new practice is based on a combination of best practices and more specific direction from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. 

The administrators involved in making the change also referenced 2013 guidelines from the Office for Civil Rights regarding a situation at the University of Montana-Missoula. In a letter sent to the University of Montana, the department identified reforms the Missoula campus needed to make to prevent sexual harassment and assault. 

The letter also suggested the university improve its responses to reports of these allegations to comply with Title IX.

In fall 2011, the university received reports that male students sexually assaulted two female students on campus. When Montana conducted its own investigation, the university received seven additional reports of student-on-student sexual assault between September 2010 and December 2011.

In May 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice launched its own investigation on the university and then suggested changes that Montana could make to better comply with Title IX. The university then agreed to make changes to its practices and procedures.

The letter said the agreement will serve as a “blueprint” for universities across the country to protect students from sexual harassment and assault.

On Sept. 15, the volunteers at the Advocacy Center were informed of SU’s new practice.

The director of the Advocacy Center, Janet Epstein, directed all questions to Rebecca Reed Kantrowitz, interim senior vice president and dean of student affairs.

Kantrowitz said when students go to the Advocacy Center, it will be up to staff and volunteers to inform students about the new practice.

She added that, in addition to the Advocacy Center, there are other resources available to students including the Counseling Center, chaplains, SU Health Services and Vera House. These places, Kantrowitz said, are categorized as “privileged,” meaning all of the information shared here will remain in these places.

Published on September 23, 2013 at 1:27 am

Contact Meredith: mhnewman@syr.edu | @MerNewman93