In early January, Drew's administrative cabinet made the decision to "lay off" Drew's experienced, independent, full-time Title IX Coordinator, Emily Ralph. Reacting to the negative impact this has had on the Drew community at large, Drew students and alumni got together to create the following petition. You may access the petition (sign and share) at the following link.
If you would like to get involved with our efforts or share a longer statement of concern please email us @ drewtitleixpetition@gmail.com.
PETITION
We, the undersigned, call on the Drew University Administration and Board of Directors to reinstate Emily Ralph as full-time Title IX coordinator.
Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in institutions that receive federal funding and requires that Universities respond and remedy hostile educational environments. In 2016, Drew University made a commitment to prioritizing the ethical handling of issues of power-based personal violence on our campus through the hiring of Emily Ralph, JD. Recognizing that sexual assault, rape, stalking, dating violence, sex-based discrimination, and discrimination based on race, national identity, religion, and other facets of identity are a reality on Drew’s campus, Drew affirmed its commitment to protecting students with the hiring of qualified and committed staff to deal with these issues.
In the past year, the reality of the pervasiveness of sexual violence and power-based personal violence has been brought to the forefront of national discourse due to the #MeToo movement. A long overdue reckoning is taking place, holding powerful individuals accountable for their sexual misconduct, while finally we are beginning to believe the accounts of survivors of sexual violence. At the same time, we are facing painful rollbacks to Title IX legislation under Betsy DeVos’ Department of Education. Rather than taking the opportunity to be a leader in handling sexual violence and discrimination issues, by terminating their full-time Title IX coordinator, Drew is complicit with the actions of Betsy Devos and the Trump Administration, who have perpetually silenced the voices of victims of power-based personal violence and perpetuated a political climate built on misogyny and the denigration of women, people of color, immigrants, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and the disabled. It is for this reason that we, the undersigned, are particularly disappointed in the decision of the Drew University Administration and Board of Directors to terminate the full-time Title IX Coordinator Position and lay off a valuable member of the Drew community, Emily Ralph.
According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 20-25% of women and 15% of men experience sexual assault or rape while in college. Nearly two thirds of college students experience sexual harassment, and 27% of college women experience some form of unwanted sexual contact. While more than 90% of sexual violence survivors on college campuses do not formally report these experiences, on Drew’s campus, should an individual come forward with an informal or formal report, they have, until now, been able to speak to Emily Ralph.
Drew’s Clery Report, which records only the most formally reported instances of sexual violence, states that between 2015-2017 there were 19 instances of rape, 11 of fondling, 7 of domestic violence, 8 of dating violence and 2 of stalking. If we broaden the scope to both informally and formally reported incidents of sexual violence and other forms of discrimination, the numbers are even more alarming. From Spring 2017 to Spring 2018, there were 26 reports of sexual harassment, 11 of sexual assault, 2 of race discrimination, 4 of national origin discrimination, 4 of dating violence, 3 of stalking, 2 of LGBTQ Bias, 5 of gender discrimination, 1 of invasion of privacy, and 2 of exposure. In light of this large number of complaints, it is easy to see why Drew requires a full-time title IX coordinator to handle investigations and make recommendations regarding violence and discrimination which impacts Drew students from accessing full educational opportunities.
Inside Higher Ed recently published an article about Drew’s new cost-saving measures, entitled “Grow and Then Get More Efficient.” In the article, and in other communications, President Baenninger has clearly stated that Drew would not be cutting student-facing personnel. The decision to terminate the full-time Title IX coordinator position stands in stark contrast to her assertion: Emily Ralph stood with students in their most vulnerable moments, while also handling reports from staff and faculty. She also worked tirelessly to educate students about power-based personal violence, and put together committees of students, faculty and staff to ensure best practices. Removing her from campus puts students in greater danger by taking away a source of accountability, increases the likelihood of discrimination taking place without any recourse, and sacrifices the well-being of students for the sake of cutting costs.
In addition to reinstating a full-time Title IX coordinator, we, the undersigned, demand that this staff member be given real institutional power. Further, we demand that the opinions of students, staff and faculty be taken into account when making decisions regarding the employment of a Title IX Coordinator, rather than exclusively the higher administration of the University. We expect a statement to be made to the full campus community within two weeks of receiving this petition, followed by opportunities for students, staff and faculty to engage with President Baenninger and other administrators.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN SIGNING OUR PETITION, PLEASE DO SO HERE.