Update on Title IX/VAWA from President Decatur

Dear Members of the Kenyon Community,

As final exams begin and our spring semester comes to a close, I’d like to update everyone on our ongoing work on the Title IX/Violence Against Women Act policy.

I have received many questions from alumni, parents, students and faculty and staff members about our policy, its origins and how it works. We’ve compiled some of these questions along with the answers on a website (kenyon.edu/title-ix/news), and we will update this as new questions are asked.

I have asked several members of our community to join a steering committee to oversee the review and audit of our Title IX/Violence Against Women Act policy, procedures and practices. The committee will select professionals to conduct an audit and review, help to define and shape the audit process and communicate findings to the broader community. The group will be co-chaired by Ruth Fisher P’18, a member of the Kenyon College Board of Trustees, and Ted Mason P’10, associate provost and professor of English. It will include representation from among the faculty (Professor of Mathematics Judy Holdener and Professor of English Jesse Matz); staff (Vice President of Student Affairs Meredith Bonham ’92 and Chief of Staff Susan Morse); students (Olivia Cucinotta ’18); and an additional trustee (Marshall Chapin ’94). The committee will also have advice and support from Gina Maisto Smith P’17, an attorney and national expert on college and university sexual-misconduct policies (http://www.pepperlaw.com/people/gina-maisto-smith/).

The work of this committee will begin this summer and continue into the fall semester. Dialogue and feedback from all members of the campus community will be an important part of this process. More details will be shared via email soon.

To our students, best wishes on your final exams and assignments.

Yours truly,

Sean Decatur, President