Betsy DeVos visit
September 10, 2019
Does UAF believe hosting and promoting a visit to campus by Betsy DeVos is consistent
with its stated commitment to "providing a safe and respectful campus environment
free from gender-based violence and sexual harassment"?
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is rolling back regulations "that protected transgender students from discrimination and allowed them to use gender-segregated facilities of their
choice, supported schools’ use of affirmative action, outlined disabled students’ rights,
and attempted to curb racial disparities in elementary and secondary schools ." href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/assessing-betsy-devos-proposed-rules-on-title-ix-and-sexual-assault">https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/assessing-betsy-devos-proposed-rules-on-title-ix-and-sexual-assault
She has rescinded the federal government's guidance and focus on campus sexual assault,
eliminated the government's probes into patterns of Title IX violations, and "reinstated
the historical practice of narrowly investigating allegations contained within complaints
sent to the government." href="https://www.the74million.org/article/experts-warn-betsy-devoss-new-title-ix-rules-will-lead-to-onslaught-of-pricey-lawsuits-as-feds-take-huge-step-back-from-sexual-assault-cases/">https://www.the74million.org/article/experts-warn-betsy-devoss-new-title-ix-rules-will-lead-to-onslaught-of-pricey-lawsuits-as-feds-take-huge-step-back-from-sexual-assault-cases/
Catherine Lhamon, the chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, notes that the
result will mostly be far fewer investigations by the government. “They’re banking
on less work for them — it’s incredibly cynical,” she says.
With this in mind, does UAF believe it is consistent and appropriate to host and promote
a visit by Secretary DeVos, when the university has recently and publicly emphasized
the importance of sexual assault awareness and prevention, as well as many other Title
IX issues? What does UAF Department of Equity and Compliance and Title IX Coordinator
Margo Griffith think about UAF rolling out the red carpet for Betsy DeVos?