Editorial: New Title IX officer must take charge to improve policy, procedures

UCLA is at the precipice of an opportunity to either take a step toward better sexual assault policies and procedures or fall back into its past habits of noncompliance and complacency with the status quo.

As the university searches for a replacement Title IX officer, the high-level administrators responsible for hiring this new power player should keep in mind last year’s revelations regarding sexual assault and harassment on our campus, including a state audit that identified several shortcomings.

Pamela Thomason, UCLA’s former Title IX officer, left the position to work for the California State University system. UCLA will appoint an interim Title IX officer until a full-time replacement is hired, said university spokesman Tod Tamberg in an emailed statement.

He did not specify when the new officer would come into the position. Until that time, students should continue to bring Title IX concerns to the Title IX office and the interim compliance officer.

The incoming Title IX officer should have extensive knowledge of UCLA’s campus culture surrounding sexual assault. This means acknowledging both the student-driven efforts to change UCLA culture, policy and procedure, as well as institutional efforts to bring UCLA in compliance with federal law.

A successful candidate will be willing to admit that changes need to be made to address the critiques of June’s state audit that found UCLA to be too lax in its mandated sexual harassment training, and will have concrete ideas on how to make those changes. She will be aware of the current Department of Education Title IX investigation into UCLA, and will have a strong desire to root out any noncompliance. But her desire for substantial, measurable policy or procedural changes won’t stop there.

The UC policy on sexual assault, which was updated in February, specifies that “responsible officers have the authority to develop procedures or other supplementary information to support the implementation of (the UC policy).” The new Title IX officer should come equipped and ready to improve on UCLA’s procedures and create an atmosphere in which students and other stakeholders feel comfortable reporting sexual harassment and assault.

She will not be satisfied with sitting in her office to ensure mere compliance. The right candidate for the job will actively search for and identify areas where the university could improve its policies, and bring these trouble spots to the attention of the University of California president to be changed.

The position of Title IX officer should not only be one of careful observations, keeping a keen eye out for possible violations of the law. It should include continuous forward movement, toward creating a more comprehensive and inclusive sexual assault and harassment policy that will better serve the UCLA community.

And just as important as a focus on policy and procedure, the new Title IX officer must be approachable and relatable to the largest segment of the campus population: students.

Students are left without a Title IX officer at a time when confidence in UCLA’s ability to handle sexual harassment complaints is waning at best. The right candidate would be responsive and empathetic to student needs, and she would be ready to take on the position immediately.

Our new Title IX officer needs to fulfill all of these factors together, and be willing to step up to her new job with a sense of urgency and purpose as the head of the sole office vested with protecting student rights against sexual discrimination and abuse.