My alma mater, one of 55 schools targeted by DOE for sex assault review, responds:

English: Logo of Franklin & Marshall College Category:University logos (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

FRANKLIN & MARSHALL COLLEGE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT May 1, 2014 Dear Franklin & Marshall Alumni, Many of you will have heard or read about the White House's announcement this week calling on colleges to intensify efforts to combat sexual discrimination and misconduct on campuses across the country, as required by federal law. This announcement provides an opportunity to share the scope of Franklin & Marshall's policies and practices, which align closely with the new federal guidance, and in some respects, place us at the forefront of colleges implementing many of the programs that the federal government has charged schools to pursue. As I stated in my remarks at this year's Take Back the Night event to raise awareness about sexual violence, we all must work actively to prevent sexual misconduct and to develop new ways to promote safety, inclusiveness and an environment of mutual respect. The White House task force on preventing sexual assault provides detailed guidance on sexual assault reporting policies, support for victims, adjudication procedures and prevention programs. F&M's student sexual misconduct policy is fully compliant with the federal Title IX provisions that govern issues of sex discrimination and misconduct on campuses. We have a number of senior administrators with explicit responsibilities toward providing a safe and secure environment. F&M has a Title IX coordinator, a deputy coordinator who also serves full time as Director of Sexual Misconduct Services, and a panel of 24 trained administrators who advise complainants and respondents, investigate allegations, and hear sexual misconduct cases. In addition, the College already has a Committee on Sexual Misconduct composed of faculty, students and professional staff that regularly reviews campus services and procedures pertaining to student sexual misconduct. The College has numerous programs and initiatives focused on education and prevention, many of which have been well established for 10 years or more. Among these is a 24-hour hotline for confidential reporting of sexual assault; an anonymous reporting line; a sexual assault orientation program for all first-year students; extensive Women's Center programming; and Take Back the Night, which involved 400 students on campus this year and 300 last year. There also is a student group of men committed to preventing sexual assault, and every year I invite our young men on campus to join these efforts. As part of this week's White House announcement, the U.S. Department of Education is demonstrating the responsiveness of its Office of Civil Rights by publishing a list of schools from which it has received a complaint relating to a report of sexual discrimination or assault. OCR evaluates all complaints it receives, so a pending investigation does not represent any findings of any violation. While privacy rules prevent the College from sharing details, F&M appears today on the OCR's listing of colleges. The College is cooperating with all requests related to OCR's fact-finding investigation. The College welcomes the White House's focus on sexual assault prevention, and the Committee on Sexual Misconduct will review and assess this coming fall semester how we might do even more to align with the new federal guidance. Furthermore, in an effort to provide an additional resource to ensure that we continue to meet the needs of our community, we have retained a former supervising attorney from the U.S. Department of Education to deliver ongoing support. We must always be a community in which complaints can be brought forward safely, and in which they will be investigated and addressed expeditiously and in compliance with the law and our own expectations of ourselves. At the same time, we must redouble our efforts toward prevention education. I want to thank our students, faculty and professional staff for their ongoing work to combat sexual misconduct and violence, and I encourage all members of our community to participate in these efforts. Sincerely, Daniel R. Porterfield President Franklin & Marshall College P.O. Box 3003 Lancaster, PA 17604-3003 717 291-3971 (o) 717 291-4183 (f) www.fandm.edu/president