A Task Force on Sexual Harassment established by Chancellor Jacquie Moloney has made recommendations to the executive cabinet on the following topics.

  • The institution’s current sexual harassment policies and procedures, including approaches to formal reporting;
  • Strategies to improve the communication and transparency of those policies procedures, including increased visibility via the website and other resources;
  • Opportunities to expand and improve effectiveness of training and education efforts; and
  • The institution’s culture and climate with a specific focus on accountability, respect, awareness, safety and prevention.

The 35-member task force broadly represents UMass Lowell, including students, faculty, staff, unions, colleges and academic disciplines, underrepresented populations, as well as academic, human resources and student affairs experts in preventing and responding to sexual harassment.

January 2020 Update from the Task Force

Sexual harassment and assault occur at every college and university in the United States, as well as in the culture at large. UMass Lowell is no exception. The university has made progress in addressing sexual harassment, sexual violence and gender-based discrimination over the past decade by dedicating more resources to the Equal Opportunity and Outreach office (EOO) and the office of Student Conduct. However, we still have work to do in creating a welcoming, safe and inclusive environment for everyone.

To that end, Chancellor Jacquie Moloney convened the Task Force on Sexual Harassment on April 16, 2019, to review the university’s Title IX policies and procedures, educational efforts, climate and culture, and our communication on these issues. The chancellor’s decision came in response to concerns within the campus community. Anticipation of changes to the U.S. Department of Education’s Title IX regulations and a state law requiring sexual harassment education added urgency to this effort.

We finalized our recommendations at the last full task force meeting on Dec. 11, 2019. We view them as a first step, knowing that implementation will require participation from the employee unions, the UMass President’s office and the UMass general counsel. We also strongly recommend that leadership solicit ongoing input from the wider university community, in part through a permanent advisory council (see the first recommendation by the full task force).

We all agree that implementation of these recommendations should be a priority for the university. We are also aware that this will require a significant investment of additional resources. As the chancellor and executive cabinet move forward with a cost analysis and funding decisions, we ask that they consider the cost of failing to commit the resources necessary to effect serious change. We also ask that, as they evaluate internal and external resources that can be dedicated to this work, they consider the existing workload of faculty and staff.

We are accepting feedback via an online form through February.

Download documents below to see the full recommendations and scope of the committees' work. Following are in PDF format:

Past Updates