Correction appended.
Sara Trower is using her more than 20 years of experience in law to improve the redesigned Office of Equity, Civil Rights Compliance and Accessibility.
Since former Title IX Coordinator Inya Baiye resigned Nov. 4, 2015, Trower was appointed the executive director of OU’s Office of Equity, Civil Rights Compliance and Accessibility, formerly known as the Office of Institutional Equity.
“I oversee and monitor all activities relating to civil rights compliance, including Title IX, for all Ohio University constituents on all campuses,” Trower said in an email. She began her job at OU on July 1, and her salary for the 2016-17 academic year is $142,000.
The Title IX legislation was signed into law in 1972, and prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex at educational institutions receiving financial assistance.
Universities are required to assign at least one employee to serve as a Title IX coordinator.
“I also work with my staff to improve the campus climate and culture by ensuring equal access to education and equal opportunity to employment,” Trower said in an email.
ECRC ensures OU maintains an employment and educational environment free from discrimination and harassment, according to its website.
After graduating from law school at the University of Missouri, Trower worked 16 years as an Assistant Attorney General in Missouri and then served as Associate General Counsel for 13 years at the University of Kansas.
“You are bringing someone to our community that has a law degree, that has all those experiences and has a level of analytic skills that is really helpful,” Jason Pina, vice president for student affairs, said. “I think that compliments everything we’re doing.”
Ellenore Holbrook said OU has altered many of its policies to further protect a student's identity and privacy.
“I think the university first and foremost recognizes that we are supposed to be here to get an education and a lot of times what is going on within our life, even within the university, can really drastically hurt the way we receive education or the way we perform,” Holbrook, a senior studying political science, said.
The renaming of ECRC was in response to increased obligations with regards to accessibility, equity and civil rights compliance, Trower said.
The oversight and management of the university’s obligations under the Jeanne Clery Act are being transitioned to ECRC, Trower said.
The Jeanne Clery Act requires all colleges and universities that receive federal funding to disclose statistics, policies and programs related to dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking, according to the 2016 edition of The Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting.
The Ohio University Police Department’s 2016 Clery Act Annual Security Report showed an increase in reports of sex-related crimes and dating violence on or near OU’s Athens campus.
ECRC monitors state and federal legislative initiatives, legal decisions as well as regulatory guidance and rulemaking to make sure OU’s policies and practices remain current and compliant, Trower said.
“The office is supposed to be a space where students can go express their worries, concerns, complaints, frustrations and the office will look into the situation,” Holbrook said.
The changes to ECRC is mainly with regards to data collection and reporting. Increased cooperation between OUPD and the ECRC will increase efficiency and allow the police officers to focus more on keeping track of criminal records and training, Trower said.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly used the abbreviation for University Equity and Civil Rights Compliance. The article has been updated to reflect the most accurate information.
