Tuesday, May 06, 2014

After Withdrawing, Tufts Recommitted to Voluntary Resolution Agreement With OCR

Last week we described how Tufts University "withdrew" from a voluntary resolution agreement it had previously signed with the Office for Civil Rights over a disputed finding that Tufts was not in compliance with Title IX in the manner it handled reports of sexual assault.

Later in the week, however, Tufts recommitted to the agreement, with a university spokesperson confirming that the university "considered a signed agreement to be in effect."  This development seems to have averted the potential for a standoff between the agency and the university that could have jeopardized the university's federal funds.

Chanting "resign or re-sign, we need our Title IX," more than 100 students protested after Tufts denounced the agreement, even though the university claimed it would still commit to the same course of action outlined in the agreement.  The university's recommitment to the agreement was announced after the protests' leaders met with university officials for several hours.