Syracuse University officials did not notify the highly-touted Chancellor’s Task Force on Sexual and Relationship Violence of the ongoing federal investigation into the university’s handling of a sexual assault case, according to members of the task force.

The Department of Education opened an investigation into SU on June 22 after a student filed a Title IX complaint with the department’s Office of Civil Rights. The Daily Orange reported last week that the investigation had been opened after obtaining documents through the Freedom of Information Act.

Randi Bregman, executive director of the Vera House and member of the task force, said in an email that members of the task force weren’t made aware of the investigation prior to The Daily Orange’s report. She declined a further interview.

A second member confirmed the task force hadn’t been notified of the investigation and agreed to an interview on the condition of anonymity because the member was not authorized to comment publicly on matters related to the task force.

The task force members received an email at 5 p.m. the day after The Daily Orange’s report, asking the members if they wanted to remain on the task force. In the email, which was obtained by The Daily Orange, there was no mention of the investigation.

The email was the first communication between SU and the task force since the spring semester, as the task force was largely disregarded over the summer, said the member.

Kevin Quinn, SU’s senior vice president for public affairs, said in an email that SU didn’t notify the task force because the investigation is confidential by law.

The investigation and documents about it are public record.

SU Chancellor Kent Syverud appointed the task force in April 2015 after it was recommended by the Chancellor’s Workgroup on Sexual Violence Prevention, Education and Advocacy.

In the SU News release announcing the creation of the task force, Syverud said the members would “help to advance and implement further improvements in sexual violence prevention, education and advocacy services on campus” in addition to looking “critically at our sexual assault and relationship violence services, policies and programs.”

The anonymous member of the task force said the task force was created specifically to have something in place for matters such as an investigation.

“Just so that there is some kind of oversight or knowledge about this issue apart from the administration,” the member said.

The member called SU’s decision not to notify the task force the latest example of the university failing to be fully transparent, something the current administration has often been criticized for since Syverud became chancellor in April 2014.

“After all this, you would think that the administration would understand that communication and transparency are really, really important to this university and the people at this university,” the member said.

The task force member also said the task force “was not really in session” over the summer, when the investigation was opened, something the member said was a point of frustration for many on the task force. The member said the task force shouldn’t only exist for the academic year, pointing out that the sexual assault Advocacy Center was closed in late May of 2014, after the academic year had already concluded.

Additionally, the member said, the closing of the Advocacy Center and the controversy it sparked raised expectations for SU in dealing with issues of sexual assault — expectations the member felt SU failed to meet in not informing the task force of the federal investigation.

“The expectations are very different than for a school that has never had to publicly deal with this issue,” the member said. “I think people are just publicly aware and asking for more.”

Published on September 6, 2016 at 10:32 pm

Contact Michael: mdburk01@syr.edu