Baylor’s President: Sexual-Assault Scandal ‘Will Always Be a Part of Who We Are’

Throughout the 20 months that Linda Livingstone has been president of Baylor University, she’s had an overarching goal: move the institution forward from an infamous sexual-assault scandal.

Yet Livingstone doesn’t believe there’s a point at which Baylor can completely leave behind its past. That past is damning: Multiple women accused the university of paying little heed to their reports of sexual assault and of letting football players, in particular, off the hook when they were accused of rape.

“I don’t think there’s ever a sort of line of demarcation where you say, ‘OK, the past is done and we’re moving forward,’” Livingstone said in an interview at The Chronicle’s offices on Monday.

Later she added: “What happened will always be a part of who we are at Baylor. It will always be a part of our story. It will always be a part of what influences and informs the decisions that we make.”

In recent months, Livingstone, who is Baylor’s first female president, has tried to seek a balance. She’s been fighting a series of lawsuits and monitoring the many changes made in the campus police department, the Title IX process, and the athletic department.

She’s also been helping to start a major fund-raising campaign and crafting an ambitious plan for the Baptist-affiliated institution to become a top-tier research university.

Finding that balance has proved challenging. The long shadow of the scandal became apparent once again on Monday, when Livingstone was forced to address the campus community after five sexual-assault reports in the past two months raised alarm among students. In a letter, she emphasized that the reports were being handled properly, through the university’s Title IX process.

Last fall, a former Baylor board chair was alleged to have used racist and sexist language. The NCAA announced an investigation into Baylor. And a Title IX lawsuit brought by 10 women, who say university administrators mishandled their sexual-assault cases, brought a wave of negative attention as the depositions of former university officials were made public.

Some of the most scathing comments came from Ian McCaw, a former athletic director, who resigned after being disciplined. In his deposition, he said a small group of Baylor board members and administrators had “set the football program on fire” as a scapegoat and had fired athletics-staff members to direct attention away from campuswide failings in handling sexual assaults.

‘A Much Broader Issue’

On Monday, Livingstone offered a contrary view. “If you look at the actual changes that have taken place on campus, the vast majority of them were not related to the athletic department,” she said. “Clearly the university understood that this was a much broader issue.”

McCaw left Baylor in 2016 along with Art Briles, the football coach, who was fired. McCaw became athletic director at Liberty University, and Briles may soon have a new coaching job. The Biloxi, Miss., Sun Herald reported on Monday that he’s interviewing for a position as offensive coordinator at Southern Mississippi University.

Livingstone’s predecessor, Ken Starr, lost his job as a result of the scandal. But a handful of campus officials who were in senior leadership roles remain at Baylor. Because Kevin Jackson, vice president for student life, and Christopher Holmes, the general counsel, were on the campus when serious errors were made, Livingstone said, they had important institutional knowledge and could prevent the same mistakes from being made again.

The Fallout at Baylor

A sexual-assault controversy led the university to demote its president and take action against members of its athletics staff. Read more about how the scandal unfolded and its lingering effects.

• How Baylor’s First Female President Plans to Move Past the Sex-Assault Scandals
• At Baylor, a Scandal’s Constant Drip Means a Relentless Spotlight
• Feuding Over Sex-Assault Scandal Intensifies Spotlight on Baylor

Livingstone said she doesn’t have control over how quickly the legal battles will be resolved. Still, she’s confident that Baylor’s culture has changed over the past three years.

The university’s governing board has expanded to 42 members and brought in more diverse and nonalumni voices, she said. An amnesty policy now shields students from facing punishment for disciplinary violations — like drinking alcohol or having premarital sex — that may have occurred before, during, or after a sexual assault. There’s a Title IX poster in every bathroom stall on campus.

Many students coming to the university may not have faith that Baylor’s Title IX system works well, given what they’ve read in the news. It’s tough to change those perceptions, Livingstone said. If students go through the Title IX process and report back to their friends that they were treated fairly, she hopes word will spread.

But the president expressed concern about Title IX regulations proposed by the Education Department regarding campus sexual misconduct. She said they would prompt potentially harmful changes at Baylor.

Under the proposed rules, colleges would have to hold hearings at which alleged victims and accused students could cross-examine each other, through an adviser “aligned with the party.”

Livingstone worries that the disciplinary proceedings would become too courtlike and might intimidate victims. Colleges would probably have to ensure that both parties had legal counsel, she said, and that another lawyer would oversee the hearings.

“We want people to help us solve this problem on our campus,” she said. “We don’t want things that will chill people’s willingness to report.”

Sarah Brown writes about a range of higher-education topics, including sexual assault, race on campus, and Greek life. Follow her on Twitter @Brown_e_Points, or email her at sarah.brown@chronicle.com.