The University of Rochester has released new reports on Diversity and Inclusion, Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response, and Bias Related incidents.
Although some of this information has been released in previous years, the university says this is the first time the reports have been released together, online, and in an easy to navigate digital format.
University President Richard Feldman says this is part of a year-long effort to build UR’s culture of respect and reinforce the university’s vision and values.
The reports show that as of last May, the university received 116 complaints of sex-based harassment. The vast majority of those who filed complaints were UR students.
The total number of complaints against students rose from 33, a few years ago, to 86, this past year.
The just-released report notes that while additional resources have improved UR’s work in dealing with these issues, there are several critical challenges that must be addressed in the coming year.
And the university says the most important one of those challenges is to rebuild lost trust in the university’s methods and tools to investigate and respond to allegations.
Feldman writes in one of the reports that the process of change requires more than rewriting policies and creating new administrative offices and positions. He says the community must be unified in continuing to embrace a vision of expectations for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
