College Appoints Full-Time Title IX Coordinator

UPDATED: May 4, 2015, at 12:54 p.m.

Emily J. Miller will serve as the College’s first full-time Title IX coordinator, according to an email Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana sent to undergraduates on Friday.

Miller previously served as a case manager on the Administrative Board, the College’s primary disciplinary body, in addition to working part-time as the College’s Title IX coordinator along with Associate Dean of Student Life William Cooper ’94. The appointment comes just a week after the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights released guidance on the Title IX coordinator position, which clarified that Title IX coordinators should be independent as to avoid potential conflicts of interest.

Miller previously recused herself from cases that she had previously addressed in her capacity as part-time Title IX coordinator.

In light of Miller’s appointment, Dean of Student Life Stephen Lassonde wrote in an email that Cooper “will step back” from his role working part-time as one of the College’s Title IX coordinators. According to Cooper, he will continue to serve in a reduced role.

The move comes amidst heightened scrutiny of the College as it remains under continued investigation by OCR for possible violations of the anti-sex discrimination law Title IX. Federal investigators visited campus two weeks ago. As part of its effort to comply with Title IX, the University has made numerous changes to its policy and procedures surrounding sexual harassment in recent years, including the creation of the Office for Sexual and Gender-Based Dispute Resolution to investigate cases of sexual assault across the University.

In his email announcing the appointment, Khurana said that Miller in her new position would work with the University’s Title IX Officer, Mia Karvonides, to oversee the College’s Title IX compliance efforts, which may include responding to concerns regarding potential discrimination on the basis of gender or sexuality, and will also serve as “a key point of contact during the life of an ODR complaint.”

According to Khurana’s email, Miller will begin in her new position on May 11.

—Staff writer Ivan B. K. Levingston can be reached at Ivan.Levingston@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @IvanLevingston.