LYNCHBURG, Va. – It’s been one year since Liberty University President Jerry Prevo promised an external review into Liberty’s Title IX office and other changes to advance student safety.
The announcement was made after a lawsuit was filed by 12 Jane Does regarding sexual misconduct at the university.
An LU spokesperson said the investigation into the mishandling of sexual assault reports and Title IX violations has since been completed.
They released the following statement:
The Title IX independent review was completed and the results were shared and well received by the Board of Trustees. Liberty’s program is generally in compliance but recommendations for improving beyond what the law requires were made and all of those recommendations have been accepted. The Sexual Misconduct policy was also revised. There has been a department reorganization and re-alignment for the personnel engaged in Title IX work. This includes university authorization to hire additional staff as well as an overall increased budget for the department. The department will also be relocated to space with higher visibility at the Montview Student Union. Many other recommendations have been implemented and a University task force is overseeing the ongoing implementation of the rest.
LU Spokesperson
Students like Hailey Wilkinson, president of the organization, Liberty Students Against Abuse said she and others want the findings of the investigation to be made public.
“We requested that the independent audit be completely public to us as a student body. We requested that Prevo be honest and open about the firm they are going to use. And we haven’t heard anything about it,” she said.
Along with the investigation, Prevo announced a nine-million dollar investment in campus security, like the installation of blue light call boxes and a new camera system.
The project is entirely on schedule except for some unavoidable supply-chain-related delivery delays. The students began the new semester with nearly one third of the cameras already installed and with the new emergency operations center fully operational. Cameras have continued to be installed throughout the semester as they have arrived. All the blue light boxes have been installed and are fully operational.
LU Spokesperson
But these actions aren’t enough for some.
“At the end of the day when you are promising a student body something and you don’t fulfill it, it’s just empty promises and empty words and it makes people feel that you are a liar and you are not protecting your students to the best of your ability,” said Wilkinson.