Update on Sexual Assault Investigation and Prevention at DU

Thank you for signing our petition and for raising your voice in support of sexual assault prevention at DU. We are glad to report that this letter has prompted forward momentum in regards to DU's sexual assault policies. We first want to make a correction to our letter, given some positive things we learned in this process. Fortunately, DU no longer relies on hearing boards for sexual assault cases, and the current Title IX coordinator has taken steps in the last year to provide training to sexual assault investigators. Currently, DU is contracting with Gina Maisto Smith and Leslie M. Gomez, partners in the law firm Pepper Hamilton LLP,­ to perform an audit of our current policies and practices. We are hopeful that this audit will provide a roadmap for an improved approach to sexual assault. Already this has resulted in a decision to hire a Title IX coordinator whose sole responsibility will be to coordinate the campus community around Title IX and sexual assault issues. This has also resulted in a decision to hire another full-time investigator, and to hold a Title IX training with the board of trustees. Finally, DU will be holding town hall forums with faculty, staff, and students this fall to discuss Title IX and sexual assault at DU. Another important thing we discovered in the process of sharing the petition more broadly is that there are a number of groups working to make our campus safer and to provide advocacy and support to victims of sexual assault; however, their efforts have not been disseminated to the campus at large. We've been assured that more transparency into these efforts will be forthcoming. We are grateful to see that many concerned constituencies at DU (administrators, faculty, staff, and students) are now trying to coordinate efforts as a result of this petition, and we find this new network of communication hopeful as well. While this is a start, we will continue to push for more education, outreach and prevention efforts (and more resources towards these efforts), which we see as key to rooting out sexual assault in our community.