Dear colleagues,

Please see below a message Mark Bandas and I shared with students today about Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ announcement this morning that she plans to review Title IX policies on how universities handle sexual misconduct investigations.

I also want to take this opportunity to remind you of the faculty resources available through the university’s Project Safe Center and Title IX office – Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action and Disability Services.

MESSAGE TO STUDENTS:

Dear Vanderbilt students,

Many of you may have questions about Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ decision to review Title IX policy as it relates to campus sexual assault. We want to assure you that Vanderbilt’s commitment to fighting campus sexual assault and to holding perpetrators accountable has not and will not change. We will closely monitor the review process announced today to determine how best to respond to preserve our commitment to a student-centered process and a safe campus environment.

We encourage students needing assistance to continue to contact the Project Safe Center for Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response as a central point from which to access the university’s numerous prevention and support resources, and to report any violation of our policy to the Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action and Disability Services office.

Susan R. Wente

Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs