Dear campus community,

I have a couple of updates to share with you on the actions we are taking to implement the recommendations from the Cozen O’Connor report on campus policies and practices related to student safety and Title IX.

We will continue the important work ahead of us alongside Cozen O’Connor, as they have been selected to serve as external counsel to the college and the working group that will be responsible for implementing the report’s recommendations. Cozen’s focus on driving positive culture change and increasing student safety through legal compliance and trauma-informed best practices, along with their recent research into Hesston College’s Title IX policies and procedures, will help position the college for timely and effective implementation of their recommendations.

With counsel from Cozen O’Connor, we began reaching out to potential members of the working group, now known as the Title IX Implementation Group. With that background, I am pleased to announce that the following individuals have confirmed their participation in this group, with just a few invitations yet pending:

• Chair: Whitney Douglas, Hesston College Title IX Coordinator
• Devon Riley, of Cozen O’Connor (and additional Cozen O’Connor content specialist as needed)
• Paula Brunk Kuhns, Hesston College Board of Directors
• Jadah Moore, Hesston College Human Resources Director
• Risa Fukaya, International Admissions and Support Counselor
• Marelby Mosquera Jensen, Hesston College Biology and Environmental Science Professor, Student Success Support
• Rachel Jantzi, Hesston College Director of Theatre, Fine Arts Department Chair, Communications Professor
• Meg Beyer, Hesston College senior in the School of Business Management
• Additional student representative (invitation pending)
• Additional staff representative (invitation pending)
• Mental health/trauma-informed external representative (invitation pending)

As remaining members of the Title IX Implementation Group are confirmed, they will be listed on the Title IX Implementation Group and Updates webpage after they are announced to the Hesston College community. Each group member supports the working group’s responsibilities, outlined in the attached charter, and are ready to carry out the necessary actions needed to fully meet our responsibilities to student safety, Title IX and other identified areas to strengthen our culture and community.

As you know, this important work will require significant investments of time both now and in the future as we live into these recommendations. Therefore, I am pleased to inform you that the college has shifted the Title IX Coordinator role from being a 9-month position to a 12-month position. In addition to discerning and recruiting the members of the implementation group, as the chair, I have been working the last few weeks to establish a budget for our group, which includes funds to cover the cost of Cozen O’Connor’s services, stipends to compensate group members, and a sizable portion for implementing recommendations with one-time costs associated with them. Recommendations that require ongoing resources will be worked into our annual budget as an institution. The funds for our work is primarily being made available through institutional investment and donor support. I have also been able to chart a course for the work of this group, but this will be an expedition into not easily charted territory. So, we also anticipate finding unexpected turns in our course and are prepared to adjust as needed.

We will begin our work with in-depth training for our team that will be led by Cozen O’Connor. This training will inform our planning of a comprehensive training event to take place for all employees at the faculty and staff retreat on August 9. This will be a great opportunity to gain a better understanding of Title IX, the role each employee plays in protecting students, current Hesston College policy regarding Title IX and trauma informed best practices in being first responders to reports of sexual misconduct.

I will continue to provide the community with regular updates on our progress in the coming weeks. If you have any questions regarding the Title IX Implementation Group or the work we are doing, please reach out to me at any time.

Sincerely,

Whitney Douglas