Please send your comments in any form (e.g. Word document redline or comments, or within an email) directly to Kristen Bowes at
kristen.bowes@cuny.edu by Monday, September 22nd. All comments will be reviewed by CUNY’s working group. Any and all input you provide is invaluable to this process!
CUNY Newswire - September 11, 2014
Dear Members of the CUNY Community: As many of you are probably aware from news reports, there has been significant new federal legislation and guidance from the White House and from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights regarding the process that colleges are expected
to follow in responding to complaints of sexual harassment and sexual assault. In order to comply with these new requirements, CUNY assembled a working group of lawyers, student affairs professionals and other administrators who have been meeting frequently
to determine how to revise CUNY’s Bylaws and policies to bring them into compliance with the new federal mandates. Article XV of the Board of Trustees Bylaws— which relates to student disciplinary action—is one such document that is being amended to incorporate
requirements contained in the new federal guidelines. While the working group has worked to ensure that the
revised Article XV abides by the new federal guidelines and applicable state law, the Office of General Counsel has consulted widely with representatives of various committees within the University, including the University Student Senate and the University
Faculty Senate. We are now seeking input from all members of the CUNY community to ensure that the revised Bylaws are as fair and workable as possible within the scope of the federal mandates, and that the document is easy to read and comprehensive. Please send your comments in any form (e.g. Word document redline or comments, or within an email) directly to Kristen Bowes at
kristen.bowes@cuny.edu by Monday, September 22nd. All comments will be reviewed by CUNY’s working group. Any and all input you provide is invaluable to this process! Please note that within the coming weeks you will also be invited to provide feedback regarding CUNY’s new Policy Against Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence, which is a single comprehensive policy that will apply both to students and employees. We thank you all in advance for your time and effort in helping us achieve outstanding amendments to our Bylaws and Board policies. Frederick P. Schaffer Senior Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs and General Counsel |
