May 4 2020 – A Message from the President & President Elect – Title IX
Dear members of the Providence College community,
As you may be aware, the US Department of Education last week released the final regulations for implementing protections of equal access to education under Title IX of the Higher Education Act of 1972. These regulations govern how institutions are required to respond to sexual assault and other forms of sexual harassment, and they will be effective as of August 14, 2020.
The regulations are voluminous, and we will be reviewing them carefully over the coming weeks to determine what adjustments we may need to make to our current policies and/or our processes for addressing reports of sexual assault and harassment. We will be certain to inform you of any changes we are required to make as a result of these new laws. At this point, we can say that, when we reviewed the draft regulations when they first were released for public comment, we noted that Providence College had already incorporated many of the proposed procedural measures into our process.
We recognize that many members of our community have experienced, in myriad ways and to varying degree, trauma on account of sexual misconduct. It is important you know that our commitment to preventing sexual assault, supporting those who report experiencing harm, and conducting fair and safe grievance resolution processes for all parties continues to be a top priority for the College. We remain steadfastly focused on continuing to build a supportive, safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment where everyone can learn, work, and thrive.
If you have, or know someone who has, experienced sexual harassment or sexual assault, sex or gender discrimination, stalking and/or intimate partner violence, we encourage you to connect to resources that can best support you. At the College, please refer to https://sexual-harassment.providence.edu/ for important information about confidential support, reporting options, and our Title IX Coordinator.
Rev. Brian Shanley, O.P
President
Rev. Kenneth Sicard, O.P.
President-Elect
