2.21.23 - Final Report and Recommendations

Dear Campus Community,

I want to provide an update on the important work that our Title IX Task Force has undertaken over the last nine months. After beginning their formal work last May, the Task Force has submitted their final report and recommendations, which can be accessed via an accessible PDF on the Title IX Task Force webpage. 

Now that the report is completed and based on the recommendations of the task force, here is my commitment to you:

• There will be ongoing assessment and evaluation of the work within Title IX, discrimination, harassment and retaliation (DHR) and survivor advocacy. We will begin the implementation of many of the recommendations and I recognize the need to remain focused and committed to this critical work.
• As a first step, I will add three new additional positions to the Office of Title IX and DHR, now located in the University Student Union –to be centrally located and accessible to students and employees. These three positions are in addition to the three positions (Deputy Title IX Coordinator, Deputy DHR Coordinator, and a second Survivor Advocate) hired during Fall 2022.
• We will partner with an external evaluator to ensure accountability and transparency as we continue to assess program needs and implement the recommendations from both the task force and the systemwide assessment being completed by Cozen O’Connor. 

In order to give everyone an opportunity to hear about the findings and recommendations, I invite you to attend one of the two virtual open forums:

March 9, 12 pm: Virtual Webinar Link 

Or

March 10, 1 pm: Virtual Webinar Link

I am immensely grateful to the Task Force chair, Dean Muscat, and to the Task Force members —they worked tirelessly to better understand and assess our opportunities for improvement and support for our campus community. The 30-page report is an essential guiding document that allows our campus to move forward together to build a culture that improves credibility and works to restore trust in our institutional process and procedures.

The Task Force worked alongside Cozen O’Connor, an external consulting firm contracted by the Chancellor’s Office, to review campus and systemwide processes. An additional report and assessment from Cozen O’Connor for each of the 23-campuses within the CSU system is expected within the next few weeks. 

I also want to take this opportunity to thank each of you, our campus community, for participating, providing feedback and collectively working together to build a culture at Fresno State where each of us is safe, valued and respected. 

Sincerely,

Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, Ph.D.
President