MU Creates Office for Civil Rights and Title IX
New office will centralize discrimination reporting and investigation
December 2nd, 2015
COLUMBIA, Mo. —Garnett Stokes, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Missouri, today announced the creation of a new Office for Civil Rights & Title IX. This new office will centralize reports and investigations of discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, genetic information, disability or veteran status at MU. Ellen Eardley, who is currently an assistant vice provost and MU Title IX administrator, will lead the new office.
“We are committed to creating an inclusive campus climate that celebrates diversity and is built upon respect for others,” Stokes said. “Consolidating reporting and investigation functions will allow us to better achieve those goals. Ellen Eardley has already achieved important milestones toward making MU a more inclusive place, and I look forward to working with her in this expanded role.”
Just as the Title IX Office has conducted investigations concerning reports of sex discrimination, the new Office for Civil Rights & Title IX will conduct investigations involving any form of discrimination. The new office will handle discrimination investigations that were previously conducted by Human Resources, the Equity Office and the Office of Student Conduct. Human Resources and Student Conduct will continue to handle conduct matters that do not involve discrimination.
The Office for Civil Rights & Title IX will produce an annual statement describing reports of discrimination received by the office. Reports submitted to the office will inform educational efforts to help prevent discrimination and correct the effects of discrimination when it occurs. The new office will create a centralized tool for reporting all forms of discrimination.
The office will report directly to Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Garnett S. Stokes with a dotted line report to Interim Chancellor Henry C. “Hank” Foley.