Loyola University Chicago

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Loyola Establishes Office for Equity and Compliance

Dear Loyola Community,

At Loyola University Chicago, we are called upon, “to expand knowledge in the service of humanity through learning, justice, and faith.” This mission not only invites us to strive for excellence in our service to students, faculty, and staff, but compels us to do so. Loyola has maintained a strong commitment to effectively addressing gender-based violence and bias-motivated discrimination and misconduct within our University community. In the spirit of our mission and continuing improvement to address these issues in our changing higher education environment, the University is restructuring our work around Title IX and other equity-based regulatory requirements. 

Effective January 2, the University established the Office for Equity and Compliance. The office has been tasked with developing a university framework to enhance our effectiveness in managing investigations into equity, Title IX, and conduct-related matters for students, faculty, and staff. The ultimate objective is to work toward prevention and address instances of sexual harassment, sexual violence, hate conduct, and discrimination wherever they may arise. The new office will also be responsible for reviewing and updating University policies and procedures to ensure regulatory compliance, in addition to providing educational resources for our community. 

Transition of this investigative work will occur throughout spring 2019, with the goal of having the office fully operational for the start of fall 2019. The team will manage investigations for each campus in the Chicagoland area and abroad, and will also be prepared to travel as needed to serve all of our Loyola community members. 

Each academic institution is required to adhere to regulatory requirements, which includes the designation of a Title IX coordinator. We are pleased to announce that Tim Love, JD, has been named to lead this new office as executive director for equity and compliance and now serves as the University’s Title IX coordinator. Tim has significantly contributed to Loyola’s efforts to maintain best practices in an evolving regulatory landscape for more than 10 years, having served most recently as associate dean of students and chair of the behavioral concerns team, and prior to that as director of the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution. Tim also prepared and submitted Loyola’s public comment response to the proposed Title IX regulatory changes and served as a key contributor to the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities’ joint response to the U.S. Department of Education. In his new role, Tim is committed to preserving and advancing safety and equity within Loyola’s entire community of students, faculty, and staff. 

As the executive director for equity and compliance/Title IX coordinator, Tim will supervise three new full-time investigators, in addition to supervising Title IX Deputy Coordinator Courtney Bilbrey, LCSW, who will remain embedded in the Office of the Dean of Students. Recruitment to fill these positions is currently underway. 

Understanding that the disciplinary and corrective action processes and protocols are different for faculty, staff, and students, this new office will respond to reports, resource complainants, conduct necessary investigations, and submit its findings to either academic leadership, Human Resources, or the Office of the Dean of Students for their appropriate action and follow up. Decision-making related to any discipline or corrective action (if warranted) will follow current protocols in place:

  • Faculty matters will follow the Faculty Handbook or applicable collective bargaining agreements
  • Staff matters will follow the Employee Handbook or applicable collective bargaining agreements
  • Student matters will follow Loyola’s Community Standards

The new office will report to the vice president for Human Resources and chief diversity and inclusion officer. This reporting structure will better align investigations conducted across the University on all Loyola campuses and enable greater consistency of our investigative policies and practices across Student Development, Faculty Administration, and Human Resources.

As a reminder, the duty to report remains in effect. Each Loyola faculty and staff member maintains a mandated responsibility to report any incidents of gender-based misconduct that you are made aware of, even if it happened in the past. In an effort to make all reports easy and straightforward, they can be made via the EthicsLine Reporting Hotline website or by calling 855.603.6988. These resources are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This initiative marks a significant investment by senior leadership to ensure that Loyola remains a campus where students, faculty, and staff of all identities, genders, and backgrounds are safe and supported in their educational and professional pursuits. Additional updates will be provided throughout the transition of this important work.

Thank you for welcoming the Office for Equity and Compliance as they join our University community.

Sincerely, 

Jo Ann Rooney, JD, LLM, EdD
President 

Winifred L. Williams, PhD
Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer
Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer