August 18, 2020

Revised Sexual Misconduct Policy

Dear Lewis & Clark community:

As we announced in our May 18 message to the community, we have revised our policy on sexual misconduct to comply with new federal and state requirements. Please read the full policy here. Thank you to the students and community members who reviewed and commented on the draft policy, and to everyone who has encouraged a renewed commitment to getting this right.

We have strengthened our focus on serving and supporting students, and our policies and practices surpass the federal Title IX mandates. We have begun the process of increasing consistency and transparency in our process and procedures. You can expect throughout the fall to see more visual guides, website updates, and new versions of materials to increase accessibility.

You can expect that our Confidential Advocates, Title IX Deputy Coordinators, and resources on campus will be available and responsive regardless of where harm or conduct occurred. Our staff are receiving new training, and training materials will be publicly posted to the website. All training will be trauma-informed and responsive to bias issues.

Publishing our policy is one step in increasing attention, training, and education around issues of interpersonal and gender-based violence and harassment. Working together, we can help assure a fair, equitable, and consistent response to sexual misconduct on our campus.

Please contact us with questions about policy, requests for training and materials, and suggestions for ongoing improvements.

Thank you,

Mark Figueroa, PhD
Dean of Equity and Inclusion and Associate Vice President, Institutional Research and Planning

Casey Bieberich, JD
Associate Dean of Equity and Inclusion and Title IX Coordinator