A new sexual assault policy
Harvard University today unveiled a new, University-wide policy and set of procedures to prevent sexual harassment, including sexual violence, related to gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Under the new framework, which applies to all Harvard faculty, students, and staff, a centralized office will be created to investigate reports of sexual harassment to determine whether the new policy has been violated. The policy and procedures go into effect at the beginning of the 2014-2015 academic year. The first University-wide Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment Policy will form the basis for revising existing policies that previously resided at and were administered by Harvard’s 13 Schools and other units. The policy and procedures were forwarded in April to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) for review, and Harvard is awaiting a response. OCR oversees compliance with Title IX, the federal law that prohibits gender discrimination in educational institutions that receive...