Students at the University of Missouri-Columbia now have one office designated to receive and investigate all reports of discrimination. On Wednesday, December 3 the university’s Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Garnett Stokes announced the creation of the Office for Civil Rights & Title IX.
Previously, the university had a Title IX office that only dealt with Title IX complaints. Title IX is a federal law passed in 1972 that prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender in federally funded education entities. Civil rights complaints were handled previously by Human Resources, the Equity Office and the Office of Student Conduct.
According to the university’s press release, “the new office will create a centralized tool for reporting all forms of discrimination.”
MU Title IX administrator Ellen Eardley will lead the expanded office, which will report incidents directly to Stokes “with a dotted line report to Interim Chancellor Henry Foley,” according to the press release.
“We are committed to creating an inclusive campus climate that celebrates diversity and is built upon respect for others,” Stokes said.
The office will handle reports and investigations regarding color, race, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, genetic information, disability or veteran status, according to the release.
Eardley told the Columbian Missourian that the office will follow the Equity Resolution Process to make victims feel more comfortable, including allowing confidentiality or privacy if requested. Investigators will also address concerns about safety in the work place and school and provide support for victims.
The launch of the new office comes after student activists demonstrated and demanded structural change in the university’s standards.
The students’ demands drew national attention after graduate student Jonathan Butler committed to a hunger-strike until university President Tim Wolfe resigned. After gaining solidarity with Mizzou’s football team, which threatened to strike on game day, Butler’s strike was successful and Wolfe resigned.
Black Mizzou students told the Huffington Post, they regularly feel racial bias on campus. Following Wolfe’s resignation, a series of racist threats were directed at black students. Students of color were encouraged to not go out on campus alone, and many fled campus temporarily. Classes were cancelled for a week. One student, who wished to remain anonymous for safety, told The American she was followed and called racial slurs by three white males.
Prior to the announcement of the new office, a local NAACP chapter created a confidential telephone hotline for students to report acts of discrimination. Columbia students can report incidents to 844-NAACP-HELP.
Last month, Nimrod Chapel, president of the Jefferson City NAACP, told the HuffPost the Mizzou student activists’ stance against inequality is “commendable.”
“The students and concerned members of the University of Missouri have given us all a wake-up call,” Chapel told HuffPost.
This story is published as part of a partnership between The St. Louis American and The Huffington Post.
