Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is taking a host of measures to address growing incidents of sexual assault and misconduct on its campus.
The steps were taken after the announcement of the 2019 Association of American Universities (AAU) Campus Climate Survey which found 7.2 percent of having experienced nonconsensual sexual contact by physical force or inability to consent.
Atleast one in six MIT students mostly women experienced sexual harassment.
In response, the university will increase education and other resources which includes in-person trainings and hiring of additional staff in Violence Prevention and Response (VPR), Student Mental Health and Counseling Services, and the Title IX and Bias Response Office.
“I believe we now have the will and the community momentum we need to come together to fix these systemic issues. To everyone who makes it their daily mission to fight for an MIT where every community member is safe and treated with respect,” Chancellor Cynthia Barnhart said.
Starting next year, the university will have a new system in place that will handle harassment and discrimination complaints against faculty and staff.
The Title IX and Bias Response Office will be renamed as the Institute Discrimination and Harassment Response Office (IDHR) which will look at all the concerns of discriminatory treatment at MIT.