A new centralized office at the Ohio State University will respond to sexual and gender-based harassment, the school announced on Tuesday.
The centralized report and response office with a decided system to assist Ohio community will also respond to violence and other forms of discrimination and harassment.
“The university will continue to focus on advancing our efforts in this vital area. The members of our Buckeye community deserve nothing less,” university President Michael V. Drake said.
The latest announcement comes in the backdrop of the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) probe into how appropriate was the university’s response to the allegations and complains of sexual abuse against its former doctor Richard Strauss.
The university says that the move was taken as a part of its ongoing review to enhance the university’s Title IX programs and procedures.
In June, the university engaged services of experts, Gina Maisto Smith and Leslie M. Gomez, to thoroughly evaluate its Title IX program.
“We spent several weeks at Ohio State over the spring and summer meeting with a wide range of university administrators, and we look forward to the opportunity to speak with students now that they are back on campus,” Gomez added.
“The actions taken thus far are part of a series of efforts that will continue to enhance the university’s prevention and response programs. Student input and feedback are critical to those efforts.”
The university has also planned to launch an online course to educate its students, staff, and faculty on prevention and tools to report improper behavior.