APLU Statement on U.S. Department of Education’s Proposed Regulations for Title IX & Campus Sexual Assault

APLU President Peter McPherson today released the following statement regarding the U.S. Department of Education’s proposed regulations for Title IX and campus sexual assault.

“Presidents of public universities consider the safety of their students, faculty, and staff to be their greatest responsibility. The success of public universities’ education, research and community engagement missions are directly tied to their ability to ensure a safe campus.

“In recent years, campus sexual assault and harassment have received significant national attention. The discussions have mobilized the entire campus community and created a dialogue that’s led toward positive action. While universities have made great progress to better assess campus climates and launch evidenced-based prevention strategies such as bystander intervention programs, their work is never done. They are working hard to ensure their campus’ culture is one that promotes safety and has no tolerance for any sexual violence.

“When cases of sexual assault or harassment do tragically occur, universities must continue to diligently work to ensure survivors have the full support and resources they need and are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. Universities are also committed to ensuring a student disciplinary process that is fair to all involved. For public universities, our obligations are both ethical and constitutional.

“We will be taking a very close and careful look at the Department of Education’s proposed regulations for Title IX and look forward to submitting thoughtful comments that reflect the views of public universities. We fully expect that public universities will continue to work hard to far exceed what’s minimally expected in Title IX rules to support survivors while also ensuring due process for the accused.”