MU responds to proposed Title IX overhaul

The University of Missouri is responding to the Education Secretary’s proposed changes to the way colleges and universities handle sexual misconduct complaints.

In response, Mizzou said it is “reviewing the proposed regulations” but won’t make any changes yet.

“Mizzou has strong policies and procedures in place related to Title IX, and we will ensure that we continue to be on the forefront of supporting our students, faculty and staff. We are currently reviewing the proposed regulations and will be watching the comments very closely. When final rules are shared, we will see if we need to make any changes,” the university said in a statement.

Betsy DeVos issued the proposal Friday, which would add protections for students accused of assault.

The Education Department said it will ensure fairness for students on both sides of accusations.

“We can, and must, condemn sexual violence and punish those who perpetrate it, while ensuring a fair grievance process,” DeVos said in a statement. “Those are not mutually exclusive ideas. They are the very essence of how Americans understand justice to function.”

MU spokesperson Liz McCune said Friday that the university “will follow federal law.”

Some students on MU’s campus said the potential new rules would encourage victim blaming, discourage victims from coming forward and limit the Title IX office’s ability to do its job.

Others said there are people who are falsely accused, and protections should be in place.

Despite the differences in opinion, students ABC 17 News spoke to all said they had concerns that schools would only have to investigate complaints if the alleged incident happened on campus or in another area the university oversees. Current rules require colleges to investigate all student complaints, regardless of their location.

According to Mizzou’s 2015-2016 Title IX annual report, 19 percent of reported incidents happened off campus.