Simpson settlement calls for more than money
Officials announced Wednesday that CU will take on one Title IX compliance adviser and an additional victim’s assistance counselor.
The creation of the positions came on the heels of a $2.8 million Title IX lawsuit settlement, which revolves around Colorado’s infamous football recruiting scandal.
Lisa Simpson and Anne Gilmore, who both said CU football players sexually assaulted them, contended that the university created an environment hostile to women and violated federal Title IX code by sanctioning football-recruiting parties in which sex and alcohol were in heavy supply.
The positions will be created as part of the settlement.
The Title IX adviser will work full time and report directly to the university chancellor. The counselor, a part-time position, will work in the university’s Office of Victim Assistance.
The full-time adviser will primarily be responsible for reviewing policies and examining the culture at CU’s Boulder campus, CU spokesman Ken McConnellogue said.
“It’s going to be an advisory position, and he’ll report directly to the chancellor,” he said. “It’s not going to be a position within the university system. He’ll work more as a consultant to the chancellor.”
Similar advisory positions exist for legislative and legal issues, in which the university hires help from outside firms.
The adviser will work somewhat as an auditor, reviewing CU Boulder’s campus policies, McConnellogue said. The adviser will not directly respond to Title IX complaints filed by students or staff.
“We already have mechanisms in place to deal with that,” he said. “This position will be more for looking at the big picture — the processes and practices that go on at the university and what we can change to improve things here.”
The full-time position, which officials hope to fill immediately, will likely go to an applicant with experience in university administration.
“We’ll be looking for somebody with a pretty good understanding of university culture,” McConnellogue said. “He’ll be able to identify and recognize issues at CU.”
As the position is filled, the responsibilities of the position may change to fit the needs of the university, he added.
The part-time counselor will be involved with responding directly to Title IX complaints filed by members of the university community.
Depending on the nature of the complaint, it may then be referred to the full-time adviser.
The creation of the positions was a major point for accepting the settlement, Simpson wrote in a statement released Wednesday.
“I am pleased with all steps the university takes to prevent any of its students from becoming future victims of sexual assault,” she wrote. “I encourage other institutions of higher education throughout the nation to take similar steps.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Justin Coons at justin.coons@thecampuspress.com.
