By Olivia Krauth–

All course syllabi at U of L will be required to have Title IX sexual misconduct statements beginning July 1.

The two paragraph statement says instances of sexual misconduct will not be tolerated at U of L. They also outline university resources to assist with those affected by sexual harassment, including the Dean of Students office, U of L Police and Prevention, Education and Advocacy on Campus and in the Community (PEACC).

Some professors have an issue with the second paragraph of the statement, which notifies students that disclosure of events of sexual misconduct to U of L employees is considered non-confidential if the issue happened on campus or with an individual related to U of L. Faculty must tell U of L’s Title IX officer about such reports.

“Unfortunately, the current syllabus statement still appears to suggest that U of L faculty members have a greater obligation to report misconduct to the Title IX officer than they do to respecting the confidentiality request of the individual student who has chosen to confide in them,” professor and psychologist Michael Cunningham said.

Dean of Students Michael Mardis explained the statement was created to inform students that professors are mandatory reporters at U of L.

“The university has to identify who the mandatory reporters are,” Mardis said, explaining a federal push for universities to understand Title IX. “A mandatory reporter is obligated to report that to the appropriate official.”

Mardis said the statement helps students realize this, as well as know their options for confidential help on campus, like the Counseling Center and PEACC. Mardis also noted notifying the Dean of Students office remains confidential unless there is a pattern that puts the university at danger.

“We are doing our best to let students know reporting and confidentiality guidelines before they choose to talk to a faculty person about an incident,” Sally Evans, PEACC’s interim director said. “In the case that a student was not aware of this and a faculty member has to inform someone of an incident, they are asked to let the student know exactly what this means. It means that someone will contact them to talk through options and see if they have our resources, not to make this public or file charges.”

Cunningham also noted that the statement suggests only administrators know what is best for individual students. “That presumption is without merit, especially in light of the many experienced U of L faculty members who hold licenses in psychology, social work and various fields of health care,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham also noted some faculty are professionally bound by certain codes of ethics which require confidentiality.

“Yet, despite repeated requests, U of L administrators have failed to respond to questions concerning the balancing of competing obligations,” Cunningham said.

Mardis explained that professors can follow their profession’s code of ethics in private practice, but if they are confided in as a professor, they must follow the statement.

The statement was initially discussed at the April 17 Arts and Sciences Assembly meeting, where it drew resistance from faculty, who mentioned issues with its ambiguous language and the risk of losing trust with students. An initial statement was released for consideration on May 6. The statement was revised, with a finalized version being sent to faculty via email on June 9. The email said faculty and legal counsel feedback were considered in the revision. Cunningham considers the revision an “improvement” from the original.

“I realize this new protocol is a culture shift for faculty and students alike, and it will take some time to normalize, but what I think is key about the syllabus statement is that it allows survivors of sexual or relational violence to make an informed decision about who they want to talk to,” Evans said. “This also sends a key message that our campus community is watching and will respond and hold offenders accountable.”