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Title IX and Equity Resolution Process Revisions Effective August 14

Dear university community,

In response to new federal regulations issued in May, revisions to several of the university’s Collected Rules and Regulations (CRRs) related to our Title IX and Equity Resolution Processes will go into effect today and will apply to conduct occurring on or after today’s date. These revisions were unanimously approved by the University of Missouri Board of Curators at a special session on July 28. Some key changes to reporting requirements and the Resolution Processes are outlined below.

Mandated Reporter Requirement

While revising CRRs to comply with federal regulations, the university made an additional change that requires all university employees to report any instance of discrimination or harassment to the applicable Title IX Coordinator or Equity Officer. As mandated reporters, university employees who become aware of any type of discrimination or harassment—not just sex discrimination or sexual harassment— in any phase of the university’s employment process, admissions or financial aid programs or any other aspect of the institution’s education programs or activities must report the information to the Title IX Coordinator or Equity Officer. This requirement applies to all employees except those who have a legal obligation of privilege or confidentiality or those who are designated as confidential and learn this information during confidential or privileged communications.

Additional Changes

Some additional changes as required by the Department of Education are listed below:

  • The Title IX Resolution Process includes a hearing with cross-examination for all complaints. As an academic medical center, University Hospital & Clinics follow a resolution process that does not provide for a hearing with cross-examination.
  • Cross-examination at hearings must be conducted by the parties’ advisors, who may be attorneys.
  • If a party does not have an advisor of their choice at the hearing, the university must provide an advisor of the university’s choice to conduct all cross-examination and other questioning for that party.
  • As with the university’s previous Title IX and Equity Resolution Processes, parties to a complaint are permitted to be in separate rooms with technology that enables participants to see and hear the party or the witness answering questions (e.g., Zoom).

In the coming weeks, your university’s Equity and Title IX offices will work to help their campus communities understand the rights and options available to them. Additional information will also be provided through updated “Not Anymore” and “Building a Foundation” training modules that will launch later in the fall. As always, we are committed to providing a fair and equitable process for all members of our university community and will continue to connect students, faculty and staff to the many support resources and services available to them.

To review the updated Collected Rules and Regulations, please see:

If you have questions or concerns, or if you would like to learn more about the revisions outlined above, please contact your Equity and Title IX office at:

Sincerely,

Marsha Fischer, Interim Chief Equal Opportunity Officer, UM System

Dana Beteet Daniels, Title IX Coordinator and Chief Equity Officer, UMSL

Andy Hayes, J.D., Title IX Coordinator and Equity Officer, MU

Cecily Hicks, J.D., Deputy Title IX Coordinator and Equity Officer, UM System

Lacy Lugo, J.D., Title IX Coordinator, MU Health Care

Jason Miller, MBA, SHRM-CP, Equity Officer, MU Health Care

Neil Outar, J.D., Title IX Coordinator and Equity Officer, Missouri S&T

Sybil Wyatt, Ed.D., J.D., Title IX Coordinator and Equity Officer, UMKC

Reviewed 2021-08-16