Message Regarding Office for Civil Rights Announcement on Title IX Guidance

September 22, 2017

Oberlin College has long sought the best strategies to provide a fair, equitable, and inclusive educational environment free of all forms of discrimination, harassment, and violence. Today, the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights announced the decision to rescind prior guidance from their office in the 2011 Dear Colleague Letter. Please know that as Oberlin diligently works to comply with all applicable laws, our policies and practices will always reflect the College's specific commitment to our most cherished institutional values. 

As of this date, the announced changes are not anticipated to require any changes to current Oberlin policies (including the Sexual Misconduct Policy and the Policy on Discrimination and Harassment), which reflect the best efforts of our shared governance processes to articulate our expectations and strategies to resolve concerns related to sexual violence, intimate partner violence, discrimination and harassment. We are also committed to ensuring that our processes are fair and equitable to all involved.

To continue together in pursuit of our shared goals, we will proceed in our work to prevent and respond to gender-based harassment, discrimination, violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence. The Title IX Team will lead the annual review of the Sexual Misconduct Policy. If you have concerns or questions regarding this matter, please feel free to direct them to the Rebecca Mosely, Title IX and ADA Coordinator and Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Carnegie 204 or at (440) 775-8555 / Rebecca.Mosely@oberlin.edu.

Carmen Twillie Ambar
President

Meredith Raimondo
Vice President and Dean of Students