The Daily Northwestern Monday, February 6, 2017
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ROAD TO RESOLUTION Reporting remains a taxing experience as NU aims to increase Title IX awareness By CLAIRE HANSEN
daily senior staffer @clairechansen
Walking to class on day one of Winter Quarter 2016, Lucy Godinez saw the student who allegedly sexually assaulted her for the first time since leaving his apartment that night. At first, Godinez said she felt the standard awkwardness of running into a former sexual partner. But as they began making small talk about Winter Break, Godinez said her unease turned into intense discomfort. It had been nearly seven months since the June night when Godinez said she went home from a party with the male student and had what Godinez later told University investigators was aggressive and non-consensual sex, according to confidential documents obtained by The Daily. She also told investigators that she had been drunk at the time of the encounter and later discovered bruises on the sides of her neck and inside her
throat. The male student declined an interview request after The Daily reached him via social media. Godinez’s efforts to cope with her alleged assault during those seven months were made easier by the fact that she did not see him, she said. Summer vacation started days after the incident and the student was abroad during Fall Quarter. Godinez, a Communication junior, said her discomfort seeing the student on the first day of winter classes only intensified as the weeks went on. She started going late to class to avoid the other student, she said, often hiding in the bathroom until she felt certain he had left the building. Initially, Godinez was hesitant to report the incident. She knew almost nothing about the reporting process, she said. And, since she said she went home with him and did not initially say “no,” she did not think she would have a case. It was only after another student walked her through Northwestern’s consent policy — one
Source: Sexual Harassment Prevention Office website, Graphic by Juliet Freudman
that requires consent to be knowing, active, voluntary, present and ongoing for each part of a sexual encounter — that Godinez said she came to believe the male student had violated it. Godinez said she did not believe she actively consented to what happened during sex, or the manner in which it proceeded. She told University investigators that she was intoxicated to the point that she could not remember parts of the encounter. About 11 months after the alleged assault, in early May 2016, Godinez filed a formal report with the Sexual Harassment Prevention Office, also known as the
Title IX office. When she did so, she entered a four-month process she described as emotionally trying and invasive. Godinez’s case was one of 179 sexual misconduct reports the University received during the 201516 academic year. The data comes from the Sexual Misconduct Data Report released by the office at the end of 2016. This past summer, as Godinez awaited the resolution of her case, the University prepared to launch a series of changes aiming to make students more aware of the process and more open to reporting their experiences with sexual assault if they wish to do so.
Reporting the data In late December, the Title IX office quietly published its first ever Sexual Misconduct Data Report online. The 11-page document outlines the number of sexual misconduct reports filed during the last academic year, the types of reports filed and their outcomes. Of the 179 sexual misconduct reports NU received between Sept. 1, 2015, and Aug. 31, 2016, 93 reported sexual harassment and 46 involved sexual assault, according to the data. Just over half of the reports list an NU faculty member, staff member or student as the respondent — the person who the report is filed
against — while the rest were filed against people outside the NU community. The document does not provide details on cases involving people outside Northwestern. Sixty-five reports were filed against students, according to the data. Sexual harassment and sexual assault constituted the majority of allegations, with 26 and 23 reports filed respectively, according to the data report. But of the 65 incidents reported, only 26 complainants elected to go through either a formal or informal resolution process. Seventeen incidents, including some reported » See TITLE IX, page 6
Former employee sues Evanston New SESP dean By NORA SHELLY
daily senior staffer @noracshelly
A f or mer Evanston employee has filed a lawsuit against the city and a former supervisor alleging breach of contract, “willful and wanton conduct” related to alleged workplace harassment and improper termination. Kenya Evans, who was
employed in the Public Works Department, filed the lawsuit in the Cook County Circuit Court last week. The defendants in the case are the city and Evans’ former supervisor, Suzette Robinson. Evans alleges in the suit that Robinson harassed her during her employment at the city, making fun of her clothing and calling Evans a “stripper and a prostitute on numerous occasions.”
According to the suit documents, Evans was hired in March 2014 and fired in July 2016. According to the suit, Robinson was accused of harassment ranging from derogatory comments about her clothing or hometown to purposely speaking into Evans’s left ear, which is deaf. Evans is also alleging other city employees witnessed the harassment.
According to the suit, Evans frequently missed work or left early due to the harassment from Robinson, as Evans reported it caused daily headaches, vertigo, stress, loss of sleep and appetite, unease and other physical symptoms. The suit says Evans originally denied the harassment was taking place out of fear » See SUIT, page 3
Ward, mayor candidates talk issues By KRISTINA KARISCH
the daily northwestern @kristinakarisch
Candidates for mayor and 5th Ward alderman emphasized the importance of affordable housing and anti-violence initiatives in Evanston at a forum Saturday morning. The forum, hosted by the League of Women Voters of Evanston in the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center, consisted of candidate statements and questions from the audience. More than 100 people attended the
event, forcing it to move from a ground-floor conference room to the council chambers. Ald. Brian Miller (9th), who is running for mayor against Ald. Mark Tendam (6th), Steve Hagerty, Gary Gaspard and Jeff Smith (Weinberg ’77), said one of his top priorities if elected mayor would be to increase police accountability. “(We have to make sure) our officers are treating all our residents in a fair, equitable and just manner,” Miller said. “Our current process is not effective in addressing some of the complaints in our community.”
Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
Miller — who called for the release of the arrest video of Northwestern graduate student Lawrence Crosby — emphasized the need for an independent police review board and re-examination of the complaint process. He also discussed need for further de-escalation training for police officers. Candidates also addressed the need for violence reduction programs. Several candidates cited the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program, which provides summer jobs to Evanston teenagers, as an effective way of keeping
adolescents occupied over the summer, potentially reducing crime. “We’ve created jobs for over 600 youths,”Tendam said. “There was actually no youth violence, or almost none to speak of, in the city of Evanston last summer. So we know jobs are critical.” Smith emphasized getting to the root of the problem, finding out why violence happens and allowing for the city to “foster a culture of peace.” Both sets of candidates spoke about the need for more » See FORUM, page 3
prepares for role
By ERICA SNOW
daily senior staffer @ericasnoww
Human development and social policy Prof. David Figlio estimates he’s taught more than 13,000 students over the course of his professional career. Now, he’ll oversee more than 700 undergraduate and graduate students, 34 faculty and more than 100 staff members as the new dean of the School of Education and Social Policy. Figlio was named the new SESP dean on Feb. 3. His predecessor, Penelope Peterson, is the longest-serving dean currently at Northwestern. Peterson assumed the role in 1997 and will retire in August. After years of teaching experience, paired with administrative work from five years as the Institute for Policy Research’s director, Figlio said he felt prepared for the responsibilities of being SESP’s new dean. Figlio said he is excited to get to know each SESP faculty member and their research, as he has done at IPR. And even though he has taught human development and social policy classes at
Northwestern, he said he is looking forward to more interaction with students. “It’s a privilege to be able to come in, to follow someone who’s been such a thoughtful and productive and constructive dean for the length of time that she has,” Figlio said. “That means the foundation is incredibly strong.” Figlio said the position made sense after his years at IPR and his relationships with faculty and administration. He also said he was eager to get to know other new hires, such as incoming Provost Jonathan Holloway. Holloway, dean of Yale College, will replace Dan Linzer as provost in July. Political science Prof. James Druckman, IPR’s associate director, said he could not imagine a better faculty member to serve as the next dean. Under Figlio’s leadership, IPR has deepened its impact on public policy, Druckman said. “He has everything you’d want in a dean,” Druckman said. “He cares deeply about mentoring and students. He cares deeply about promoting faculty research. He » See FIGLIO, page 3
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