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Cozen O’Connor Systemwide Title IX and DHR Assessment: Report & Findings

To strengthen its systems of care and compliance, in 2022 and 2023 the CSU engaged Cozen O'Connor to conduct a systemwide assessment of its Title IX and Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation (DHR) programs. The final reports listed below identify core observations and recommendations for improvements at both the system and university levels.

For more information about the Cozen O’Connor assessment, please visit the Chancellor's Office webpage dedicated to the assessment and FAQs.

Message from President Parham: Moving CSU's Title IX and DHR Processes Forward

July 17, 2023

Dear Campus Community,

My administration is committed to providing a wholesome environment where each member of the Toro family has their humanity affirmed and is free from instances of harassment, retaliation, and discrimination. These characteristics are fundamental to our culture of care and our institutional values.

Today, the law firm Cozen O’Connor released its report on Title IX and Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation (DHR) programs at the California State University. This assessment was initiated by the Chancellor’s Office and Board of Trustees in 2022, after allegations that reports of misconduct were improperly handled in years past. You may also have seen media coverage of a pending report on this same topic from the California State Auditor, set for release later this week. I write to you today to share the steps that CSUDH has taken in anticipation of these reports and their findings, and how the university will address this issue in the future.

The Cozen O’Connor team’s review indicates that the CSU engaged in inconsistent practices across the 23-campus system when addressing complaints of DHR or Title IX violations. The report includes recommendations for addressing these shortcomings. For example, it calls on the Chancellor’s Office to play a larger role in managing the tracking and adjudication of such complaints, better documentation and record management, and the establishment of a prevention and education oversight committee to coordinate and align programming across campus. The full report can be found online at The CSU’s Commitment to Change.

While the report focuses on the system at large, it also includes findings about individual campuses. Please know that I take these recommendations not simply as a critique but as valuable feedback that will allow us as a campus community to close the gap between our aspirational selves that reflect the full measure of our values, and our real selves that are now being challenged with data that indicates we are falling short. At CSUDH, Cozen O’Connor found a lack of awareness and visibility of the Office of Equity and Inclusion, a lack of a strategic and coordinated prevention and education program, and a lack of a formal process and protocol for responding to conduct issues that are troublesome or disruptive, but which do not meet the threshold of violating the Nondiscrimination Policy.

Already, CSUDH has taken steps in the previous year that address these findings. These include:

  • The establishment of the Division of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice and the hiring of Dr. Bobbie Porter to lead it; and elevating what was proposed as an AVP position to a full vice president and member of the President’s Executive Cabinet
  • Blair Miles hired as executive director of the Office of Equity and Inclusion
  • Nallely Lopez hired as new Title IX coordinator for CSUDH

Additionally, the Office of Equity and Inclusion has already begun intentional outreach and education by creating a dynamic social media account, hosting a Self-Care fair on campus on May 9, and providing over 20 presentations and trainings to campus constituencies since January 2023. In fact, OEI is participating in tomorrow’s Toro Tuesday program, which introduces all incoming students (first-year, transfer, and graduate) to various campus resources. The report also made several recommendations related to the OEI website — many of which have already been made.

CSUDH has created an implementation committee, made up of students, faculty, and staff representatives, charged with overseeing the institutional review of the Cozen report that was released today and ensuring proper steps are taken to enact the report’s recommendations that are consistent with my expectations as your president. The committee began meeting in the spring to lay the groundwork for not only responding to the report itself, but working together to ensure the campus environment remains one that is safe and welcoming to all who work and learn here.

You will hear more from Dr. Porter’s team in the coming weeks and months about the committee’s work and opportunities for you to participate in that process. CSUDH will also work in partnership with the CSU Chancellor’s Office in developing and implementing policies and practices that align with the systemwide reforms recommended by the reports from Cozen O’Connor and the California State Auditor. The process of working through the entire 23-campus system may take longer than many of us would like, but I assure you it is crucial not only that our university undertake the necessary changes to address these significant issues, but that we also work together to ensure the entire system’s response to DHR and Title IX complaints is deliberate and sound. As such, creating an environment free of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, and one that affirms everyone’s humanity, is not simply the job of the Office of Equity and Inclusion or one individual on our campus. Rather, each of us must be committed to doing our part to ensure that our beloved DH campus exudes the social ambiance and culture of care we strive to manifest on a daily basis.

 

Sincerely,

Thomas A. Parham, Ph.D.

President

Communications & Updates from the Chancellor's Office

Communications

Updates

For the most recent status of the CSU Title IX & DHR Cozen O’Connor Assessment, please visit the Chancellor's Office webpage.

May 2023 Board of Trustees Meeting - (Recording & Presentation Slides)

At the May 24, 2023 meeting of the Board of Trustees, Cozen O’Connor gave a public, oral report about the assessment during the Committee on University and Faculty Personnel. Below are the links to the recording of the presentation and the PowerPoint.