Drew University in Madison, N.J., is hosting a summit Friday for faculty and staff to help address sexual assault and misconduct on the campus.
The summit will include topics relating to sexual assault, “domestic and dating violence, stalking, alcohol use, intervention, resistance skills, retaliation prevention and reporting, campus reporting and employees’ role in reporting,” according to an emailed press release from the university.
Speakers include the Dean of Campus Life and Student Affairs Frank Merckx, on-campus counseling and alcohol-prevention services, and representatives from Jersey Battered Women’s Services. The press release doesn’t mention any speakers explicitly advocating for the due process rights of the accused, and Drew spokeswoman Elizabeth Moore didn’t answer a Washington Examiner email on the subject. Although William Brown, the school’s director of legal affairs, was listed on the university website as a scheduled speaker.
The summit was organized under Drew’s new president, MaryAnn Baenninger, who addressed the new focus on sexual assault in a statement.
“Over the course of the last year, the federal government has focused unprecedented attention on sexual misconduct on college campuses and has imposed significant new responsibilities on staff and faculty, while re-emphasizing long-standing obligations,” Baenninger said. “It is critical that faculty and staff understand their role in addressing the prevention of, and response to, sexual misconduct and relationship violence.”
Merckx told the Daily Record that the summit was in response to a law signed by President Obama last year – the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, which also included language from the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act.
The incoming semester will be the first with the law in effect, which requires incoming students and employees to be educated on sexual assault and prevention.
Drew is also currently embroiled in a lawsuit regarding its handling of a sexual assault claim during the Fall 2013 semester.
Former student Kevin Parisi is suing the university for what he claims is gender discrimination, stemming from the way he was treated after being accused of sexual assault. He was ultimately found “not responsible,” but had already been removed from his dorm and barred from campus except for the cafeteria and buildings where he had classes. Parisi said his grades and health suffered due to the stress of the situation.
Drew spokeswoman Elizabeth Moore told the Examiner that Parisi’s lawsuit and the summit were not linked.
