A fresh face to the Dickinson administration lineup, newly appointed Title IX Coordinator Donna Greco, is already making strides to improve campus life by starting work on a stronger policy. The position, which became required by the U.S. government and the Office Of Civil Rights (OCR) in 2011, was previously filled by Vice President of Student Life Dean Joyce Bylander.

Title IX, a law enacted by the U.S. government in 1972, does more than just provide for gender equality in athletics, but it extends to prohibiting any gender-based discrimination in all federally funded educational programs.

Greco, along with Bylander and Kelly Wilt, Dean of Students and Violence Prevention Coordinator, will be in charge of creating a better policy than the one that is currently in place.

They also hope to educate the campus on what Title IX is and how to help students to create a safer campus, Bylander said. Greco, a social worker, said she has worked with many colleges in the past in creating a good policy and a safe space.

“In 2011, the Office Of Civil Rights wrote what is called the ‘Dear Colleague Letter’ (DCL)…. The OCR wrote the DCL to all colleges and said, hey, Title IX is about sexual harassment, sexual assault is a subset of sexual harassment, you all are not doing a good enough job,” Bylander said.

Bylander explained that it is important to educate the right people on campus to properly prepare them for certain incidents, and that “athletes and coaches are a special population [to the OCR for education].”  She added that Wilt is available to educate any group on campus that requests it.

The institution began the search for a Title IX coordinator in June, according to Bylander.  They were looking for someone that was not only certified, but “accessible;” they wanted someone who would be approachable to students, she explained.

Initially, Dickinson was looking for a lawyer, but decided to take Greco because she was “approachable” and could help the college be a more “safe space.” Students sat in on interviews and were involved in the decision making process, according to Bylander.

Greco was attracted to Dickinson because of “its history of being really progressive and… its commitment to creating learning environments where people feel they can freely learn together and exchange ideas and skills and knowledge.”  She said she wants to help “create spaces that are free from violence and harm.”

“I think that [Wilt] and I will really work together to make sure that we have the best possible system of response and resolution for Title IX, that it’s balanced, that it’s fair, that it’s equitable for all parties involved,” Greco said. “We’re also creating a space where students feel safe reporting. We need to know when sexual assault is happening so we can best respond and prevent it from occurring.”

Bylander said that sexual assault and harassment cases on Dickinson’s campus are rarely people that the victim does not know.

“This is about people who know each other and mess up,” Bylander stated. “Not all men are rapists and not all women are victims.”

In her first few weeks on campus, Greco has been meeting new people and said that she has “enjoyed having as many conversations with as many colleagues and students as [she] can so far.”  She said she has an “open door” and can be reached by email at [email protected].