After a former faculty member at University of Illinois Springfield issued a formal complaint to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights that the university was violating federal law, UIS has come to an agreement with the Office for Civil Rights to settle the matter.
Derek Schnapp, public relations director at UIS, told faculty members Feb. 16 through a mass e-mail that the university will review how well it applies Title IX on issues like financial aid, disciplinary action, equipment, facilities, practice times and game schedules.
Title IX is a federal law that safeguards students from discrimination based on sex. The law is most notably used to protect female athletes from discrimination on the basis of sex but the law extends to all educational programs.
Schnapp says UIS received a notice in September from the Office for Civil Rights regarding an issued complaint. “The bottom line is we’re going to work with the Office for Civil Rights and it’s a process we want to make sure we’re following properly,” he says.
The story was reported in a February 24, 2011, edition of the Illinois Times.
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