Sept. 24, 2020

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SEXUAL ASSAULT DATING VIOLENCE STALKING SEX DIS CRIMINATION SEXUAL HARASSMENT VICTIMS PERPEAfter Betsy DeVos changed the rules, students TRATORS REPORTS and ALLEGATIONS administrators areANONYMOUS working together to reform DOME TIC VIOLENCE SUPPORT GENDER-BASED HARASSMENT EQUAL PROTECTION INVESTIGATION CONFIDENTIALITY EXAMINATION SEXUAL ASSAULT DATING VIOLENCE STALKING SEX DISCRIMINATION SEXUAL HARASSMEN VICTIMS PERPETRATORS ALLEGATIONS ANONYMOUS R PORTS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SUPPORT GENDER-BASED HARASSMENT EQUAL PROTECTION INVESTIGATION CO FIDENTIALITY EXAMINATION SEXUAL ASSAULT DATING VIOLENCE STALKING SEX DISCRIMINATION SEXUA HARASSMENT VICTIMS PERPETRATORS ALLEGATIONS ANONYMOUS REPORTS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SUPPORT Folan is GENDER-BASED HARASSMENT EQUAL PROTECTION INMAKING Amy announced as next HISTORY athletic director VESTIGATION CONFIDENTIALITY EXAMINATION SEXUA ASSAULT DATING VIOLENCESTALKING SEX DISCRIMINA TION SEXUAL HARASSMENT VICTIMS PERPETRATORS A LEGATIONS ANONYMOUS REPORTS DOMESTIC VIOLEN SUPPORT GENDER-BASED HARASSMENT EQUAL PROTE TION INVESTIGATION CONFIDENTIALITY EXAMINATION Martinez SEXUAL ASSAULT DATING VIOLENCE STALKING SEX DIS ADVOCATING Mary discusses her role FOR EQUITY as OCRIE leader CRIMINATION SEXUAL HARASSMENT VICTIMS PERPET TORS ALLEGATIONS ANONYMOUS REPORTS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SUPPORT GENDER-BASED HARASSMENT 202

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SEPT. 24, 2020

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PHOTO HIGHLIGHT

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SEPT. 24, 2020

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INDEX NEWS

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TAKING TIME OFF SGA votes on alternative options in lieu of a traditional Spring Break.

EDITORIAL A FEELING OF NORMALCY

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Don’t get too comfortable as things on campus start to return to normal.

ONLINE ALUMNA RECLAIMS BIKE

FOLLOW US ONLINE

CMU graduate reunites with her bike four years after thief is arrested.

ONLINE ART GALLERY REOPENS

Make sure to read all of our coverage on our website, cm-life.com.

The University Art Gallery welcomed visitors Sept. 10 with two new exhibits.

ONLINE FALL FOOTBALL? Rachael Yadlowsky | Photo Editor A student walks past a tree with leaves changing colors on the first day of fall Sept. 22 behind the Dow Sciences building.

In a press conference, President Bob Davies said MAC will announce decision about season Sept. 28.

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SEPT. 24, 2020

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Folan becomes first woman athletic director University of Texas associate AD chosen due to compliance, experience and past fundraising success

By Austin Chastain Sports Editor sports@cm-life.com

Amy Folan’s move to become Central Michigan’s new athletic director will come with obstacles and challenges, especially during a worldwide pandemic.

The first challenge will be getting her children to adapt.

In moving from Austin, Texas to Michigan Folan’s son Anelio and daughter Giada will have to navigate the change of surroundings, climate and school.

“I’m anticipating a smooth transition, but as I know with children, sometimes everything is hold on for your life and a lot of fun,” Folan said during her introductory press conference on Sept. 22. “I think this is a great (opportunity) to bring my family up in (a) higher-education environment in a community like Mount Pleasant.”

Folan is replacing Michael Alford, who announced his departure from CMU on July 15

Austin Chastain | Sports Editor Amy Folan poses with her family after being named CMU’s athletic director Sept. 22 after a press conference at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

to become the CEO of Seminole Boosters Inc. at Florida State. Folan is the eighth athletic director at CMU since 1940 and the first woman to take the job. She joins Western Michigan’s Kathy Beauregard as the only two female Division I athletic directors in the state.

Folan will officially start on Oct. 5 with a

four-year base salary at $290,000 annually. Her salary is higher than Alford’s initial $275,000 base salary.

President Bob Davies said the national search to find Folan was led by Glenn Sugiyama and DHR Inc., a nationally-recognized sports search agency.

Davies said 70 people were interested in the position. Three finalists were chosen — Folan, Michigan State’s Alan Haller and Arizona’s Derek van der Merwe.

CMU was looking for someone who could continue the success of student-athletes both on the field and in the classroom, Davies said.

Davies also said the athletic department, which cut its men’s indoor and outdoor track and field program earlier this year, needed a leader to get through the COVID-19 pandemic.

While at CMU, Davies anticipates Folan will increase revenue generation, ticket sales and overall enthusiasm in the Mount Pleasant area and across the state.

During the interview process, Folan said Davies showed “rigor, relevance and excellence.”

She said she is going to use that same mindset when dealing with issues in the department.

Now, Folan is focused on familiarizing herself with CMU and Mount Pleasant, she said.

“My first goal is to on-board these first 90 days. I have to assimilate myself with the culture; it’s obviously a great one. That’s why I’m here,” Folan said. “There are some things on the horizon that we may have to tackle sooner rather than later, but I will work with president Davies and the interim Rachel Blunt to make sure we cover everything we need to until I can be fully on-boarded.”

Before CMU, Folan was the executive senior associate athletics director at Texas where she oversaw the Longhorn Foundation, the university’s fundraising arm.

SGA votes on spring schedule, hears from CMED dean

By Ben Jodway Staff Reporter news@cm-life.com

Opinions and questions were raised in debates over how the spring semester might look and Central Michigan University’s new surveillance testing program on Sept. 21, 2020.

During CMU’s Student Government Association General Board meeting, CMU’s leader on the COVID-19 response, Dr. George Kikano, presented the new coronavirus surveillance testing program.

The student body voted on intermittent days off during the spring semester.

At a Sept. 21 meeting, students discussed options for the 2021 Spring Semester DIFFERENT SPRING SEMESTER SCHEDULE

No spring break is a possibility this spring semester, but SGA voted on alternative options that might lead to more holes in the school year.

They voted on starting classes Jan. 11 and having several different days throughout the spring semester as days-off, as well as having a virtual first week of classes.

The student body had a number of options to choose from, none of them including a regular spring break:

n Start on Jan. 11 and end the semester a week earlier. n Start on Jan. 11 and have online-only instruction and encourage students to stay in their dorms during the first week back, then end the semester one week earlier. n Start on Jan. 11 and have several days throughout the week on different days as a day-off, ending the school year on the regularly scheduled day. n Start on Jan. 19 and end on the regular date.

Due to a large amount of discussion

around the first week being virtual, it was added as an additional question on the Webex poll, which is used to count votes from the student body.

Brendan McDonald, Academic Affairs chair, wasn’t sure about option #3. Because it’s only an extra day or two unlike a long break, he said that students would most likely use it to work on assignments they were procrastinating on.

“I don’t think the majority of students would take it as a day off like you would under spring break where you could take four days off without worrying about it,” he said.

In the Webex chat, students raised concerns that professors would still

assign work over the free days.

SURVEILLANCE TESTING BEGINS

Kikano explained how the coronavirus surveillance testing program will operate to the student body.

Partnering with a company with a “reliable test methodology,” students, faculty, and staff can volunteer to be involved in tests that would check to see how much of the campus is asymptomatic, Kikano said.

The nationally recommended threshold for asymptomatic universities is five percent, he said.

“Personally, I think it’s going to be lower,” Kikano said.

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SEPT. 24, 2020

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SEPT. 24, 2020

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WHAT IS OCRIE? The Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity “supervises the maintenance of related reports and records, provides and develops related educational programs and materials, offers guidance and advice to all community members on the University’s nondiscrimination and affirmative action policies and procedures, assists departments with recruitment and retention activities, and receives and resolves complaints of discrimination from students, employees and others.”

WHAT IS TITLE IX? In 1972, Title IX of the Education Amendments was put into effect to require gender equality in federally funded educational institutions.

Title IX states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

CONTACTS OCRIE

Bovee University Center 306 Mount Pleasant, Michigan 48859 Office email: ocrie@cmich.edu Phone: 989-774-3253

Mary Martinez

Interim OCRIE executive director and Title IX coordinator Bovee Universituy Center 306 marti4m@cmich.edu

CHANGING

Students, administrators work together to adjust sexu

D

uring the summer before her junior year, Kaylee Kok finally got the email she had been waiting for. The student who drugged and sexually assaulted her would not be allowed to return to Central Michigan University that fall.

In February 2017, Kok attended an off-campus party with a friend who was visiting Mount Pleasant. At the party, she was introduced to a male student, who asked the friends to hangout with him at his apartment.

“Originally, I just tagged along to be a good wing-woman,” the Jackson graduate student said.

“Eventually, when we got (to his apartment), I was drugged.

“After it happened, I don’t really know how I got out of it, but I got out of it, ran downstairs and just started running with my friend back to my apartment.”

A few days later, Kok went to the Central Michigan University Police Department to report the incident. Officers suggested contacting the Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity (OCRIE) for assistance.

OCRIE organizes and monitors CMU’s affirmative action/equal opportunity efforts and compliance with state and federal statutes. They resolve complaints of discrimination from students, employees and others.

After making an appointment, Kok met with Mary Martinez, then OCRIE and Title IX Deputy Director, to discuss her experience and her options moving forward.

“Basically, my work with them was to get him permanently dismissed,” Kok said. “That was my goal.”

Kok and Martinez met with Director of Student Conduct Tom Idema, who would make the final decision. After four months, she was informed that her rapist was dismissed from Central Michigan

University.

Title IX prohibits federally-funded educational institutions from discriminating against students or employees based on sex. OCRIE works to enforce Title IX. The combination of the two helps people, like Kok, who have been sexually assaulted or discriminated against cope, seek justice and/or find closure.

OCRIE can be used if a member of the CMU community is being discriminated by another based on: age, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religion, sex, sex-based stereotypes, sexual orientation, transgender status, veteran status, or weight.

On May 6, 2020, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos released a 2,000 page document containing changes to Title IX and required schools to have them in effect by Aug. 14.

These changes include switching the definition of sexual harassment from “unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature” to “unwelcome conduct determined by a reasonable person to be so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the school’s education program or activity.”

“Devos took historic action today to strengthen Title IX protections for survivors of sexual misconduct and to restore due process in campus proceedings to ensure all students can pursue an education free from sex discrimination,” a May 6 press release from the U.S. Department of Education read.

Martinez, the now interim executive director of OCRIE and Title IX coordinator, said the Department of Education gave Title IX a new,

OCRIE MISSION

“

To develop, encou a positive campus enhances the und as well as the st affirmative action, d access for all, witho color, national ori age, height, weigh familial status, dis status, sexual orien persuasion, excep distinction is re

– Novem

STORY BY COURTNEY PEDE

GRIEVANCE PROCESS AND PROCEDURES OF CMU’S SEXUAL AND GENDER-

1

SUBMITTING FORMAL COMPLAINT

A complainant meets with an OCRIE investigator to discuss the specifics of the complaint. The complainant will submit an endorsed formal complaint.

2

EVALUATION OF COMPLAINT

The Title IX Coordinator will evaluate the formal complaint for Title IX. If the formal complaint does not meet the criteria for Title IX, it will be dismissed as a Title IX complaint, but can still be investigated as a non-Title IX complaint under CMU’s Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct Policy.

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NOTICE TO RESPONDENT

The respondent will receive notice of the complaint, which includes the endorsed formal complaint and information about OCRIE and the grievance process, resources on and off campus, and supportive measures.The respondent meets with OCRIE to discuss the specifics related to the complaint.

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G TITLE IX

ual misconduct policy to align with national standards

N STATEMENT

urage and promote environment that derlying principles tated policies of diversity, and equal out regard to race, igin, religion, sex, ht, marital status, sability, veterans ntation, or political pt where such a equired by law.

mber 1999

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very narrow definition.

According to Martinez, if something meets the definition, there is a specific way the university must respond and what that should look like. However, it is up to the university to decide what to do with everything that does not meet the definition.

CMU was required to sort through and implement the new Title IX guidelines then decide what to do with other issues of misconduct not covered.

“Title IX has changed, but the culture and what is and what is not acceptable at CMU, has not changed,” Martinez said. “Everything that was prohibited before the changes on Aug. 14, is still prohibited now.”

A group of CMU students – the Title IX Task Force – is working alongside Martinez to make these changes.

TITLE IX TASK FORCE Although Devos and the federal government claim changes to Title IX policy benefit students, CMU students have created the Title IX Task Force to speak out about new modifications.

After attending a virtual “Know Your IX” conference at the end of June, Bay City senior Elise VanParis created the Title IX Task Force with 10 other students and recent alumni. The group created a petition and a social media campaign to educate the CMU community.

The task force worked closely with Martinez to address their concerns regarding the new Title IX policy and how it could affect CMU students.

“She’s been really receptive to our Task Force, and she’s happy to see students are involved,” VanParis said. “She wasn’t offended or anything by the fact we were pushing for this transparency from the administration and making sure the changes are good for the community.”

The task force is collaborating with the Organization of Women Leaders. The two student groups are hosting a virtual town hall to discuss changes regarding COVID-19 at 7 p.m. Oct. 5.

“At this point, I’m just really hoping that we’re able to make people aware of the changes, because I don’t think a lot of people were aware this was happening anyway,” VanParis said. “And I’m hoping we’re able to make sure that everyone has the justice that they are looking for when reporting sexual misconduct.”

EFFECT OF CHANGES AT CMU After hearing about the changes and the 100day implementation deadline, Martinez and staff from several CMU offices focused on what to include in the Title IX policy changes.

Since protections under Title IX were narrowed, OCRIE decided to modify and expand its “Sexual Misconduct Policy” into the more encompassing “Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct Policy.”

Martinez said the biggest change was reevaluating the way CMU investigates and determines responsibility. As a result, OCRIE changed its singular investigation model to a hearing model.

The single investigator model, a single OCRIE investigator gathers and compiles statements and evidence. The same person then analyzes facts from the investigation to determine, “by the preponderance of the evidence,” if an OCRIE policy was or was not violated.

In the new hearing model, an investigator gathers and compiles statements and evidence.

A hearing officer then convenes a hearing, after which, the hearing officer would analyze the facts from the investigation and hearing to determine, “by the preponderance of the evidence,” if the policy was or was not violated.

ERSEN • ASSOCIATE EDITOR

-BASED MISCONDUCT

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INFORMAL RESOLUTIONS

Both parties can agree to a documented Informal resolution process. Either can withdraw from the informal resolution process at any time before an informal resolution is reached.

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INVESTIGATION & INVESTIGATIVE REPORT

Upon the conclusion of OCRIE’s investigation into an allegation of a violation of this policy, OCRIE will produce an investigative report to each party for review containing an overview of the investigation undertaken and a summary of all evidence and statements reviewed and considered.

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SEPT. 24, 2020

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KEY TERMS ​DATING VIOLENCE – Violence, or threat of violence, by a person who had been in a romantic or intimate relationship with the Complainant.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OR INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE – A felony or misdemeanor crime of violence committed by a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the Complainant.

INCAPACITATION – A state in which an individual cannot make the informed and rational decision to engage in Sexual Activity because the individual lacks conscious knowledge of the nature of the act or is physically helpless.

SEXUAL ASSAULT – Touching of a sexual nature without Consent, including, but not limited to, any of the following acts: •S ​ EXUAL EXPLOITATION – Conduct involving a person taking, or attempting to take, non-consensual or abusive sexual advantage of a Complainant when such conduct would not otherwise be defined as sexual harassment or sexual assault.

• SEXUAL HARASSMENT – Nonconsensual unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other unwelcome verbal, electronic or physical conduct of a sexual nature.

• SEXUAL MISCONDUCT – Unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature committed without consent or by force, intimidation, coercion, or manipulation.

• STALKING – A course of conduct directed at a specific Complainant that would cause a reasonable person to fear for that person’s own or someone else’s safety, or to suffer substantial emotional distress.

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DETERMINATION

The Hearing Officer will make a determination of responsibility that will be included in the determination. If there is a determination that CMU’s Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct Policy was violated, sanction(s) will be issued by the appropriate sanctioning official. Both parties have the opportunity to appeal the determination and sanction(s).

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SEPT. 24, 2020

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EDITORIAL |

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CENTRAL MICHIGAN LIFE | CM-LIFE.COM

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SEPT. 24, 2020

FEELING A

EDITORIAL STAFF

NORMALCY

ADVERTISING STAFF

SENSE OF

As life reemerges on campus, don’t neglect the progress we’ve made

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f we’ve learned anything this semester, it is that attending an institution of higher education during a pandemic is not ideal. There is hope for students seeking some normalcy, though.

Universities across Michigan continue to see rising COVID-19 cases on their respective campuses. Grand Valley State University, for example, has 240 active cases on its campus and has begun paying its students to receive COVID-19 testing.

There is a different story unfolding on Central Michigan University’s campus.

CMU’s weekly reported COVID-19 cases have been low over the last two weeks. There were nine confirmed cases Sept. 7-13 and 12 confirmed cases Sept. 14-20.

Numbers for the county have remained steady with only slight changes from week to week.

In an email to campus on Sept. 11, President Bob Davies praised students for their efforts in his weekly COVID-19 update.

“I am grateful for the efforts you have made to help us reach this point successful-

ly,” Davies said. “Our Emergency Management team continues to monitor the virus closely, and meets regularly to discuss developments and trends, adapting as needed to keep our campus and community as safe and healthy as possible.”

We had offered criticism of the university’s handling of COVID-19. Administration has shown interest in listening to the student body as it makes necessary corrections to the COVID-19 plan.

One of those changes was having on-campus testing for students, faculty and staff.

There’s also a noticeable increase in efforts toward contact tracing through surveillance testing, and CMU is committed to providing new case updates every day.

After more than seven months, students are tired of living in fear and disappointment. We are all looking forward to when campus can return to normal — hopefully, in the near future.

More students are biking and walking around campus. People are taking advantage of using study spaces. There’s even college

football to watch on weekends – even if it isn’t CMU. Even that could change in the coming days as a renewed discussion about fall football continues among Mid-American Conference schools.

Last week, the Student Activity Center reopened. The clanging of dumbbells, the swish of treadmills and shoes screeching across basketball courts helped to bring a sense of normalcy to this semester.

Normal is something students are having a hard time finding in online lectures and lonely Friday nights.

Students are missing out on a lot this semester. We are starting to catch glimpses of life before COVID-19 and can’t lose sight of the end goal. As things start to return to the way they were before COVID-19, we can’t get too comfortable.

Let’s not neglect the progress we’ve made.

Let’s get through the rest of this semester carefully, so we can regroup over winter break and return to a campus for a Spring 2021 semester that is more like the CMU we remember.

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF....................................Isaac Ritchey ASSOCIATE EDITORS..................Michael Livingston Andrew Mullin Courtney Pedersen SPORTS EDITOR.................................Austin Chastain PHOTO EDITOR............................Rachael Yadlowsky MULTIMEDIA EDITORS............................. Ben Ackley ENGAGEMENT EDITOR..................... Jamie Rewerts Isabel Karnes COPY EDITOR.....................................Amalia Kalergis PRESENTATION EDITOR...................Sarah Brownell DESIGNERS............................................Madison Skop Jon Hearth REPORTERS............................................Teresa Homsi Ben Jodway Brendan Weisner Makayla Coffee Christian Booher Katherine Schultz Stephanie Kennert Noelle Gray Barbara Garcia Mckayla Chapman Noah Wulbrecht Malina Wojtylo

AD MANAGERS...........................................Connor Turpin Lauren Frailey ACCOUNT MANAGERS................................ Autumn Reis Ian Gapp Russell Vollick Samantha Sweeting Julia Springer Ainsley Young ______________________________________________ All letters to the editor or guest columns must include a name, address, affiliation (if any) and phone number for verification. Anonymous letters will not be printed, except under extraordinary circumstances. CM Life reserves the right to edit all letters and columns for style, length, libel, redundancy, clarity, civility and accuracy. Letters should be no more than 450 words in length. Longer guest columns may be submitted but must remain under 750 words. Published versions may be shorter than the original submission. CM Life reserves the right to print any original content as a letter or guest column.

Please allow up to five days for a staff response, which will include an expected date of publication. Submission does not guarantee publication.

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Central Michigan Life, the independent voice of Central Michigan University, is edited and published by students of Central Michigan University every Thursday during the fall and spring semesters. The newspaper’s online edition, cm-life.com, contains all of the material published in print, and is updated on an as-needed basis.

Central Michigan Life serves the CMU and Mount Pleasant communities, and is under the jurisdiction of the independent Student Media Board of Directors. Dave Clark serves as Director of Student Media at CMU and is the adviser to the newspaper. Articles and opinions do not necessarily reflect the position or opinions of Central Michigan University. Central Michigan Life is a member of the Associated Press, the Michigan Press Association, the Michigan Collegiate Press Association, the Associated Collegiate Press, College Newspaper Business & Advertising Managers Association, the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce, Central Michigan Home Builders Association, Mount Pleasant Housing Association and the Mount Pleasant Downtown Business Association. The newspaper’s online provider is SN Works.

Central Michigan Life is distributed throughout the campus and at numerous locations throughout Mount Pleasant. Non-university subscriptions are $75 per academic year. Back copies are available at 50 cents per copy, or $1 if mailed. Photocopies of stories are 25 cents each. Digital copies of photographs published in Central Michigan Life are available upon request at specified costs.

Central Michigan Life’s editorial and business offices are located at 436 Moore Hall, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, telephone (989) 774-3493 or 774-LIFE.

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Q&A

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M

ary Martinez arrived on Central Michigan University’s campus the day after Donald Trump was announced president in 2016. Now, as interim director of the Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity, Martinez is utilizing her degrees in social work to guide and maintain the university’s nondiscrimination and affirmative action policies and procedures.

In May, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos issued a revised regulation on Title IX. Over 2,000 pages of legislation that had to be implemented within 100 days at college campuses across the country.

Central Michigan Life sat down with Martinez to discuss changes the OCRIE office has experienced over the summer and what changes are to come in the near future.

Mary Martinez Interim Executive Director of OCRIE and Title IX Coordinator

SEPT. 24, 2020

What made you interested in institutional equity and civil rights?

I’ve always been interested in this type of work my entire life. The work that I do in my professional career has

Title IX officer discusses her experiences with instituional equity and civil rights Noelle Gray ■ Staff Reporter to align with my morals and ethics in my personal life.

I hope to continue in this role and support President Bob Davies and what he sees for the office as well as in the future.

How has Title IX policy changed?

The first change people will notice is the title of the policy. It changed from “Sexual Misconduct Policy” to “Sexual and Gender-based Policy.” Even though gender-based misconduct was always covered, it was not clear, so we wanted to put that in the title.

We also had to reevaluate the way the university investigates and makes determinations in terms of responsi-

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bility moving from a singular investigation model to a hearing model. That is definitely the biggest change.

Will the upcoming election coming up spark a rise in racial complaints?

It has been on my radar for over a year.

My first day at CMU was the day after the presidential election. That was a difficult first day because there was a lot of emotions on both sides.

I am very comfortable knowing the culture at CMU and all the players and components of it.

I can’t predict what will happen, but we’re here to respond, educate, train, have those open discussions and investigate if necessary.

Have more students made complaints this summer?

Yes and no. It is important to note that OCRIE does more than just sexual and gender-based misconduct; OCRIE covers all types of discrimination and harassment. We also serve faculty and staff, not just the students.

During the summer, students aren’t normally around on campus, so we

typically see less concerns reported over the summer.

Since you’ve been in the interim position, what changes have been implemented?

Historically, the office was led by someone who had a law degree and a law background. My background in social work and student affairs is very different from that.

My approach is to be proactive in terms of training and speaking. I’d much rather put in 100 hours of work doing training and building those relationships on the front end instead of doing that on the back end.

What training is OCRIE trying to implement this year?

I am very excited for the online training offerings that all students are mandated to take. The “Campus Clarity Think About It” training is getting a complete face lift. It is going to look different and have a different name. It will be more interactive.

We are hoping to launch that later this semester on Oct. 1.

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What is the

2020

FAQ’s What is the 2020 Census?

The U.S. Census counts every resident in the United States every 10 years. The 2020 Census will be the 24th Census in the United States.

What does the Census do?

The 2020 Census will determine congressional representation, inform hundreds of billions in federal funding each year, and provide data that will impact communities for the next decade.

Census?

Why should college students care about the Census?

The Census gives money back to your community and Mt. Pleasant is your home eight months out of the year. This is an easy way you can help give back to your community.

How do you fill out the Census?

Online at 2020census.gov How long does the Census take?

The Census is 10 questions and takes 10 minutes to complete.