Secretary of Education Betsey DeVos released the long awaited changes to Title IX, set to go into effect in August. There are many things to be concerned about, but given that we are all doing our best to manage all the concerns we're facing these days, I am going focus on just one today: the provision that coaches are not mandatory reporters of sexual assault.
This change is horribly unethical, dangerous, and inconsistent.
First, the rule change--which the Department of Education has said is legally binding, going against precedent regarding Title IX rule changes in the last decade--also potentially includes faculty and staff, in and outside of athletics departments. Schools will get to choose who is a mandatory reporter. Some say most schools will not change current rules about everyone (except counselors and members of the clergy) being mandatory reporters. But I think it is striking that coaches and other members of athletics departments were specifically singled out as potentially being exempt. The new rule says only that Title IX coordinators and others with "authority to institute corrective measures" are required reporters. (I address that categorization below.)
The specific choice to potentially exempt coaches is inconsistent with common practice about mandatory reporting. Coaches are mandatory reporters of abuse at the youth and high school levels because part of their job is maintaining the welfare of children. At the college level, we are not dealing with children (legally speaking), but coaches have a responsibility for the welfare of their students and the students within their communities, i.e., college campuses.
I do not know if this rule change is about the perception that college sports are minor leagues/semi-professional and thus the coach is merely an employee rather than a contributing member of an educational community. But I find it hard to justify that coaches are so different and/or detached that they can be released from this responsibility that the majority of other employees have.
To be clear, this is a responsibility that I believe members of the academic community should have and exempting faculty and staff would also be wrong. It is part of the job. It requires actual labor in the form of mandatory training. While employees often bemoan this training because on college campuses many see it is as uncompensated labor (a not unreasonable assessment based on my experiences because of the way it is presented), it is both ethically necessary and educational.
This is because, in addition to the educational mission, colleges and universities are required to keep their students safe. We have very large rule books that outline violations of student (and employee) conduct. The rationale behind those rules--many of which do not involve illegal activity (i.e., lighting a candle in the residence halls)--is to keep individuals and the community safe.
That's it. Schools have a responsibility to keep the members of their community safe. The rule change is inconsistent with current norms and prevailing philosophies. And it is dangerous.
For one, studies and investigations are showing that athletes commit sexual violence in greater numbers than their non-athlete peers. Coaches are more likely to be the people who hear about these crimes. And now the DOE is telling them they can handle those reports however they choose.
Two, we already have evidence of the dangers of coaches who do not report. How many women and girls could have been spared the horrific abuse of Larry Nasser if the coaches who were told about his assaults on athletes at Michigan State had actually reported it? Hundreds. What about Ohio State, which just made an initial settlement with 350 former members of the OSU community? Same.
Add up the cases from all over college sports where even a single accusation went unrecorded. Given the data, we know that sexual offenders are often repeat offenders. So likely thousands of cases of sexual assault could have prevented if people had done what they were supposed to do. And now the Department of Education is saying they are not required to do that anymore. What will those numbers look like?
To have these data and not consider it is simply unethical. This is a dangerous rule change and the rationale behind it fails to consider current practices and the need for cultural change.
The DOE says that exempting coaches and others means that victims who do not want to to make official charges or trigger an investigation have a greater opportunity to do so. But good training and reporting practices already account for this. Mandatory reporters, with the right training, know where to direct students if they do not want their allegation documented. And good Title IX coordinators know how to maintain confidentiality when they receive a report.
Yes, there are many schools who do a bad job, because they do not take the issues seriously. Exempting more people from reporting is not the way to make schools behave better. It just lets them off the hook. People who are mandatory reporters ARE taking "corrective actions" when they report. They are initiating a chain of events that leads to investigations and reporting and sometimes hearings. They are illustrating that everyone on campus has a stake in this issue which is one way to change the campus climate.
The only people protected by this rule change are those who will not be held responsible for sexual assault and those that can now legally cover up of those crimes.
Showing posts with label coach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coach. Show all posts
Monday, May 11, 2020
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
What has been happening at Auburn?
Well whatever has been happening, it has been happening for a few years. But news of problems within Auburn University's softball program only emerged a couple of weeks ago when a former player filed a Title IX complaint alleging that an associate coach was sexually harassing and having sexual relationships with players. But the investigation into associate head coach Corey Myers's actions by the school began in a year ago spurred by anonymous ethics complaints.
Yet Myers did not leave the program until March (he took a 2-week leave of absence when the investigation began*) when he resigned citing the need to be with his family. He is the son of head coach Clint Myers who, not coincidentally, announced his retirement right before news broke of the Title IX complaint and who also said it was due to the desire to spend time with his wife, children, and grandchildren. The elder Myers is a highly regarded figure in intercollegiate softball having coached the very successful (in terms of wins) Arizona State Sun Devils before going to Auburn in 2014. He has also worked with USA Softball.
What has been published about the harassment and conduct of the younger Myers and how it was handled by Auburn suggests a cover up. The timing of the elder Myers's retirement announcement supports that hypothesis. Also, the athletics director said in late April 2017 that he had no knowledge of an investigation. And when Clint Myers told the press in early April that he would welcome his son back to the program and a reporter asked about a Title IX investigation he seemed offended that such a thing was even brought up.
The player who filed the Title IX complaint (which included allegations of both the abuse and the cover up) was a redshirt player who was cut following the end of the 2017 season. This scenario often leads to a sour grapes defense. However, the complainant's story has been corroborated by others you played under Myers and Myers. One player, who transferred to another school, showed the media suggestive text messages sent by the younger Myers to another Auburn player (she took pics of the texts). When these texts were brought to the administration as evidence, a member of the athletic department told those seeking redress that they could be arrested for sharing those messages. So it seems the athletics department was engaging in intimidation and cover up based on this version of events. Other former players have also come forward with stories of illegal behavior and attempts to get the school to address it.
It is clear that the situation created tension within the team. The player who was receiving the texts did not implicate Corey Meyers during the Fall 2016 investigation. This caused division among the team even into spring 2017. An incident involving an Auburn player in an altercation with University of Florida head coach Tim Walton during the post-game high-five line now has some context. She and other members did not want to ride the bus with the uncooperative player. In other words, this situation and the way the staff and the administration dealt with it caused problems within the team. To an outsider it looked like a fairly successful season with a loss to a good team.
No word on whether or when OCR will investigate.
* according to one player, team members were encouraged to go to the administration during this time and advocated for Corey Myers's return.
Yet Myers did not leave the program until March (he took a 2-week leave of absence when the investigation began*) when he resigned citing the need to be with his family. He is the son of head coach Clint Myers who, not coincidentally, announced his retirement right before news broke of the Title IX complaint and who also said it was due to the desire to spend time with his wife, children, and grandchildren. The elder Myers is a highly regarded figure in intercollegiate softball having coached the very successful (in terms of wins) Arizona State Sun Devils before going to Auburn in 2014. He has also worked with USA Softball.
What has been published about the harassment and conduct of the younger Myers and how it was handled by Auburn suggests a cover up. The timing of the elder Myers's retirement announcement supports that hypothesis. Also, the athletics director said in late April 2017 that he had no knowledge of an investigation. And when Clint Myers told the press in early April that he would welcome his son back to the program and a reporter asked about a Title IX investigation he seemed offended that such a thing was even brought up.
The player who filed the Title IX complaint (which included allegations of both the abuse and the cover up) was a redshirt player who was cut following the end of the 2017 season. This scenario often leads to a sour grapes defense. However, the complainant's story has been corroborated by others you played under Myers and Myers. One player, who transferred to another school, showed the media suggestive text messages sent by the younger Myers to another Auburn player (she took pics of the texts). When these texts were brought to the administration as evidence, a member of the athletic department told those seeking redress that they could be arrested for sharing those messages. So it seems the athletics department was engaging in intimidation and cover up based on this version of events. Other former players have also come forward with stories of illegal behavior and attempts to get the school to address it.
It is clear that the situation created tension within the team. The player who was receiving the texts did not implicate Corey Meyers during the Fall 2016 investigation. This caused division among the team even into spring 2017. An incident involving an Auburn player in an altercation with University of Florida head coach Tim Walton during the post-game high-five line now has some context. She and other members did not want to ride the bus with the uncooperative player. In other words, this situation and the way the staff and the administration dealt with it caused problems within the team. To an outsider it looked like a fairly successful season with a loss to a good team.
No word on whether or when OCR will investigate.
* according to one player, team members were encouraged to go to the administration during this time and advocated for Corey Myers's return.
Monday, March 14, 2016
Settlement at North Florida
Title IX news out of Florida late last week: a $1.25 million settlement in favor a dismissed female basketball coach.This case flew completely under the radar. News of the substantial settlement was the first we had heard of coach Mary Tappmeyer's claims of discrimination against the University of North Florida and only because friends-of-the-blog emailed us the press release. Since we have yet to write about it, here is the synopsis of Tappmayer's case:
She was dismissed from her position a year ago (March 2015). Her contract, which had been set to expire at that time, was not renewed. She had been the only women's basketball head coach in the program's history, which began in 1991. She alleged that the university fired her as retaliation for complaining about the inequitable conditions for female student athletes and made claims of sex discrimination as well. The university said she had a losing record and that every complaint about discrimination that Tappmeyer brought forward was investigated. These investigation never found that the coach's claims had any merit. Complaints included: academic exceptions (to university admissions requirements) for male basketball recruits but not female, a larger operating budget--including travel--on the men's side, and disparities in training, office, and locker room facilities. She got paid less, but claims the university held her to higher performance standards. Her lawsuit also included allegations that administrators spoke badly of her and her all-female coaching staff to student athletes, athletic department employees and donors and that they impeded her ability to coach and recruit.
So why is this case significant? One, it is a large settlement. This hints at the possibility that the university thought it would not have done better in court, though the statement from the university president stated that they settled to avoid extensive legal fees. And it is a large settlement for a case that got very little national attention and was underway for less than a year. Did the university just throw some money at this to make it go away quickly and quietly? Possibly. More on that theory later.
The second reason why this case deserves some additional analysis is because it shares characteristics with other cases we have seen. Tappmeyer did not report her allegations to the Title IX coordinator because she feared for her job. She went to the president's office instead where she was assured her position was safe. In other words, she knew that complaining within the department was dangerous for her. This is reminiscent of another Florida institution, Florida Gulf Coast University, where a group of female coaches anonymously sought help from outside the university to file a Title IX complaint about the inequitable treatment.
Sex discrimination rarely stands alone. In allegations about the culture of the department, some of which did not make it into Tappmeyer's lawsuit, she noted that Athletics Director Lee Moon engaged in racist and homophobic behavior. He did not want LGBT or black athletes recruited. Regarding the latter he was alleged to have said that audiences will not come out for an all-black team and encouraged coaches to recruit from the midwest. He wanted teams with female head coaches to have male assistants on staff, presumably to challenge the idea that the team was coached by lesbians. There are no people of color in head coaching positions on the men's side. Tappmeyer's replacement is a black man; he is the only Black person in a head coaching position.
Single axis discrimination is rare. We saw this at Penn State with the case of former women's basketball coach Rene Portland. The lawsuit by a dismissed player (which also ended in a settlement--terms undisclosed) alleged race, gender, sexual orientation discrimination. Penn State also used the internal investigation method and found no evidence of the race or gender discrimination. There is a lack of understanding about intersectional discrimination, which is part of the reason why allegations are not proven. But it exists and it contributes to the hostile climate in athletics departments.
Another similarity: discernible patterns. In addition to the racist comments and inequitable treatment, the UNF athletics department had a practice of firing female coaches and replacing them with male coaches, a la University of Iowa. Sometimes athletics directors who are in charge when the discrimination occurs are themselves fired often as a measure to demonstrate that the university is taking the claims seriously and attempting to change the offensive and discriminatory culture. Not at UNF where Moon remains in his position and supported by the administration.
This is also happening at Iowa where the university is standing solidly behind AD Gary Barta who, in addition to having his contract renewed, has just won an award for being the best athletic director!! Though the lawsuits are not yet settled at Iowa and it remains to be seen what happens to Barta, the announcement that the National Athletic Collegiate Directors Association chose him for the Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year Award was startling, to say the least. I realize that this is an aside. Perhaps it deserves its own post, but it certainly speaks to the culture that female coaches are dealing with not just at their institutions but at the national level. NACDA thinks that someone who is at the center of several lawsuits and a federal investigation about gender equity is the best athletic director in the country. I might worry about what is happening everywhere else, if I did not know that this award is the epitome of an old white boys club, let's look out for one another mentality. For a more thorough analysis of situation see this post. While Barta's recognition certainly seems to contradict some of NACDA's own criteria, Under Armour's involvement may be the thing that engenders more outrage about this situation. After all, UA is working very hard to win female athletes and fitness fans away from Nike. The signing of Giselle Bundchen, Lindsay Vonn, and Misty Copeland along with others to star in "inspiring" ad campaigns in the past two years reflects these efforts. Being connected to this award recipient is a major faux pas for this company at this time. Consumers should let them know that.
Back to Tappmeyer's case and one final point. We like to think that lawsuits and settlements will change attitudes and cultures. While this is possible and we have seen it happen, it is not always a guarantee. I do not see change happening at UNF. Their reliance on internal investigations (versus outside consultants), their support of Moon, and the outright denial of Tappmeyer's claims alongside the roundabout blaming of her for costing them money suggest that things will move along as they always have. Tappmeyer challenged the culture she encountered, but she could not change it. Maintaining the culture of male and white privilege and power cost UNF $125 million. I think that they are happy to pay that to continue on with business as usual.
She was dismissed from her position a year ago (March 2015). Her contract, which had been set to expire at that time, was not renewed. She had been the only women's basketball head coach in the program's history, which began in 1991. She alleged that the university fired her as retaliation for complaining about the inequitable conditions for female student athletes and made claims of sex discrimination as well. The university said she had a losing record and that every complaint about discrimination that Tappmeyer brought forward was investigated. These investigation never found that the coach's claims had any merit. Complaints included: academic exceptions (to university admissions requirements) for male basketball recruits but not female, a larger operating budget--including travel--on the men's side, and disparities in training, office, and locker room facilities. She got paid less, but claims the university held her to higher performance standards. Her lawsuit also included allegations that administrators spoke badly of her and her all-female coaching staff to student athletes, athletic department employees and donors and that they impeded her ability to coach and recruit.
So why is this case significant? One, it is a large settlement. This hints at the possibility that the university thought it would not have done better in court, though the statement from the university president stated that they settled to avoid extensive legal fees. And it is a large settlement for a case that got very little national attention and was underway for less than a year. Did the university just throw some money at this to make it go away quickly and quietly? Possibly. More on that theory later.
The second reason why this case deserves some additional analysis is because it shares characteristics with other cases we have seen. Tappmeyer did not report her allegations to the Title IX coordinator because she feared for her job. She went to the president's office instead where she was assured her position was safe. In other words, she knew that complaining within the department was dangerous for her. This is reminiscent of another Florida institution, Florida Gulf Coast University, where a group of female coaches anonymously sought help from outside the university to file a Title IX complaint about the inequitable treatment.
Sex discrimination rarely stands alone. In allegations about the culture of the department, some of which did not make it into Tappmeyer's lawsuit, she noted that Athletics Director Lee Moon engaged in racist and homophobic behavior. He did not want LGBT or black athletes recruited. Regarding the latter he was alleged to have said that audiences will not come out for an all-black team and encouraged coaches to recruit from the midwest. He wanted teams with female head coaches to have male assistants on staff, presumably to challenge the idea that the team was coached by lesbians. There are no people of color in head coaching positions on the men's side. Tappmeyer's replacement is a black man; he is the only Black person in a head coaching position.
Single axis discrimination is rare. We saw this at Penn State with the case of former women's basketball coach Rene Portland. The lawsuit by a dismissed player (which also ended in a settlement--terms undisclosed) alleged race, gender, sexual orientation discrimination. Penn State also used the internal investigation method and found no evidence of the race or gender discrimination. There is a lack of understanding about intersectional discrimination, which is part of the reason why allegations are not proven. But it exists and it contributes to the hostile climate in athletics departments.
Another similarity: discernible patterns. In addition to the racist comments and inequitable treatment, the UNF athletics department had a practice of firing female coaches and replacing them with male coaches, a la University of Iowa. Sometimes athletics directors who are in charge when the discrimination occurs are themselves fired often as a measure to demonstrate that the university is taking the claims seriously and attempting to change the offensive and discriminatory culture. Not at UNF where Moon remains in his position and supported by the administration.
This is also happening at Iowa where the university is standing solidly behind AD Gary Barta who, in addition to having his contract renewed, has just won an award for being the best athletic director!! Though the lawsuits are not yet settled at Iowa and it remains to be seen what happens to Barta, the announcement that the National Athletic Collegiate Directors Association chose him for the Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year Award was startling, to say the least. I realize that this is an aside. Perhaps it deserves its own post, but it certainly speaks to the culture that female coaches are dealing with not just at their institutions but at the national level. NACDA thinks that someone who is at the center of several lawsuits and a federal investigation about gender equity is the best athletic director in the country. I might worry about what is happening everywhere else, if I did not know that this award is the epitome of an old white boys club, let's look out for one another mentality. For a more thorough analysis of situation see this post. While Barta's recognition certainly seems to contradict some of NACDA's own criteria, Under Armour's involvement may be the thing that engenders more outrage about this situation. After all, UA is working very hard to win female athletes and fitness fans away from Nike. The signing of Giselle Bundchen, Lindsay Vonn, and Misty Copeland along with others to star in "inspiring" ad campaigns in the past two years reflects these efforts. Being connected to this award recipient is a major faux pas for this company at this time. Consumers should let them know that.
Back to Tappmeyer's case and one final point. We like to think that lawsuits and settlements will change attitudes and cultures. While this is possible and we have seen it happen, it is not always a guarantee. I do not see change happening at UNF. Their reliance on internal investigations (versus outside consultants), their support of Moon, and the outright denial of Tappmeyer's claims alongside the roundabout blaming of her for costing them money suggest that things will move along as they always have. Tappmeyer challenged the culture she encountered, but she could not change it. Maintaining the culture of male and white privilege and power cost UNF $125 million. I think that they are happy to pay that to continue on with business as usual.
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