Written by Devon Mitchell
This past Tuesday, on November 17th, the report from the Title IX investigation was released. Following a Roanoke College alum’s public complaint on Instagram of how her Title IX case was mishandled by Dean Brian Chisom, an investigation into Roanoke College’s response to Title IX and the ways Dean Chisom handled cases was conducted.
Over the last four months, a third-party investigator gathered reports from about 80 people in the RC community, reviewed Roanoke policy, and compiled this information into a report on all the findings. The college intended to release a report by the end of October, but due to the amount of information, this was delayed. In a detailed email sent to the Roanoke community, the college outlined what was found, recent actions taken, and future plans to avoid Title IX misconduct in the future.
The email first outlined seven actions taken by the college based on the investigation’s report and recommendations by the Board of Trustees. First and most prominent, Dean Brian Chisom resigned as Dean of Students at Roanoke College. Associate Dean, Tom Rambo, was named interim Dean of Students. Additionally, the Interim Head Baseball Coach, Cam Cassady, is no longer at the college. The current interim Title IX coordinator, Aaron Fetrow, will remain in this position until a new coordinator is named.
New actions to be taken in the upcoming year include, a new position, victim advocate, which the College hopes to fill by 2021, a survey conducted every three years by a third-party to ensure improvement and promotion of resources provided by Sexual Assault Response and Awareness (SARA). The email outlined additional actions the College will take such as forming an alumni advisory group comprising of professionals in the field of law and Title IX, more visibility for training offered to the community, and easier and more accessible and supportive ways for the community to report harassment, assault, etc., amongst other actions being taken.
Concluding the email from the Board of Trustees and President Maxey, a list of individuals to contact and other resources in cases of sexual misconduct were provided. This contact information and additional Roanoke resources are listed below. Aaron Fetrow, Interim Title IX Coordinator: fetrow@roanoke.edu ,
Kathy Martin, Director of Human Resources and Deputy Title IX Coordinator: kmartin@roanoke.edu ,
Amy Perkins, Assistant Dean of Students and Deputy Title IX Coordinator: perkins@roanoke.edu ,
Dr. Gail Steehler, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Deputy Title IX Coordinator: gsteehle@roanoke.edu , Campus Safety’s Silent Witness online form: https://forms.roanoke.edu/silent_witness , And Sexual Misconduct and Title IX Policy: https://www.roanoke.edu/titleix .
