During the 2013-14 academic year, the Sexual Assault Task Force - a representative body from across the institution - was charged with developing a comprehensive response to sexual violence and other forms of gender-based harassment occurring on campus. In May 2015, President Christina Paxson announced that the University would move forward on all recommendations outlined by the University's Sexual Assault Task Force to include the creation of the Title IX Office as well as the Title IX Oversight and Advisory Board. In June 2016, the Title IX Oversight and Advisory Board released a report in which they made a number of key recommendations as well as noted the complexity of addressing bias and discrimination beyond those found within the parameters of Title IX.  Thus in the Fall of 2018, the Title IX Oversight and Advisory Board was disbanded to allow for more integrated work across other forms of discrimination and harassment.  

Oversight on our progress in reducing the threat of sexual violence and other forms of gender-based harassment remains vital. The ongoing review has been taken up by the Steering Committee on Equity and Diversity.

For more information on the Steering Committee on Equity and Diversity, please visit the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity website. Below is the history of the Title IX Oversight and Advisory Board.

Original Charge

The Title IX Oversight and Advisory Board reviews and makes recommendations concerning Brown University’s policies, programs, and initiatives designed to address sexual and gender-based harassment, sexual violence, relationship and interpersonal violence and stalking. This includes:

• Meeting at least twice annually with the Title IX program officer and deputy Title IX coordinators to: (1) review progress on programs to prevent sexual and gender-based violence and harassment, including on-line and in-person training and education of faculty, students and staff; (2) review progress in enforcement of the University Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment, Sexual Violence, Relationship and Interpersonal Violence and Stalking Policy; (3) review annual statistics collected by the Title IX office on the incidence of reported cases of sexual misconduct, the characteristics of complainants and respondents (with information aggregated so as to protect confidentiality), and the distribution of the time it takes to move from an initial compliant to its resolution.
• Conducting a review every three years, beginning in the spring of 2016, of the progress Brown has made in implementing the recommendations of the 2014-15 Sexual Assault Task Force. The results of this review, including recommendations, shall be presented to the Brown University Community Council and the written report shall be made public.
• Meeting annually with the President to discuss the work of the committee.

Reviews and Recommendations

Every three years, the Title IX Oversight and Advisory Board (OAB) reviews Brown University’s progress in implementing the recommendations issued in the Final Report of the 2014-2015 Sexual Assault Task Force, based on the experiences and feedback of staff, students, and faculty who have worked to implement Title IX related changes.  This review will now be under the purview of the Steering Committee on Equity and Diversity. 

Title IX Oversight and Advisory Board Review and Recommendations - June 2016

Membership

The 2016-2018 committee included:

• Laurel Bestock (Chair), Associate Professor of Archaeology and the Ancient World & Egyptology and Assyriology
  Nancy Barnett, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, School of Public Health, Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences
  Maitrayee Bhattacharyya, Associate Dean for Diversity Programs
  Maggie Goddard, PhD'20
  Ariel Hoadley, MPH'19
  Tau Lee, '19,
  Basundhara Mukherjee, undergraduate
  Anshul Parulkar, MD'18
  Vanessa Ryan, Associate Dean for Student Development - Graduate School 
  Joshua Segui, Director, Brown Center for Students of Color
  Erin West, undergraduate
  Ex-officio members:
  Karen Davis, Vice President for Human Resources
  Eric Estes, Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services
  Joseph Meisel, Deputy Provost