Ohio State Shuts Down Office That Helped Sexual-Assault Victims

Ohio State U.

Ohio State University is shuttering its campus office that assisted sexual-assault victims, and is firing four employees, after a review found that the unit had mishandled students’ reports.

Multiple people complained that the Sexual Civility and Empowerment unit didn’t adequately support victims or properly document allegations of misconduct. Ohio State suspended the office in February as an external review was being conducted.

The university released documents and reports related to the case to the local news media, including The Lantern, the campus newspaper. According to The Lantern, several victims were accused of fabricating their stories. They said they were told they wouldn’t receive support services if they weren’t “deemed ‘credible,’” didn’t demonstrate that they were “ready to heal,” or wouldn’t “disclose the identity of the perpetrator.”

The documents also faulted the office’s prevention programs and training. Its programming described sexual violence as a “miscommunication” and “the result of ignorance,” the reports say. One person alleged that a rape victim couldn’t set up a meeting with a staff member in the office without joining a research study on victims.

A former employee also alleged that there was rampant mismanagement within the office and that the assistant director told her not to work with the student-conduct office or the Title IX coordinator, among others.

Jill Davis, who had worked as a support coordinator, said that some students “reported being bullied, blamed for their assault, and said they did not receive any help at all, that they continue to see their perpetrator on campus,” according to The Lantern.

Ohio State officials said they had hired Gina Maisto Smith and Leslie M. Gomez from Cozen O’Connor, a Philadelphia law firm, to revamp support services for sexual-assault victims and to review university policies to ensure that they comply with federal law. The two are often brought on board to diagnose institutional crises related to campus sexual assault and to craft solutions.

“Ohio State will do all that we can to be a national leader in preventing and responding to sexual misconduct,” said Michael V. Drake, the university’s president. “Our campuses must be safe places for all members of our community to learn, work, and grow. We remain steadfastly and unwaveringly committed to this goal.”

A new campus program for preventing and responding to sexual misconduct will be in place by the fall semester, university officials said.

In April, Ohio State announced an investigation into sexual misconduct involving a former sports doctor. Former athletes in 14 men’s sports teams have alleged that Richard Strauss, who died in 2005, abused them during an 18-year tenure at Ohio State. The university has hired an outside law firm to handle the case.

The university is also the subject of two active federal Title IX investigations.

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.