Content warning: This article contains references to sexual violence.
Penn President Larry Jameson reaffirmed the University’s commitment to preventing sexual violence at a University Council meeting on Wednesday.
Jameson’s Oct. 14 comments came in the wake of a lawsuit filed by a former Cornell University student alleging she was gang raped for nearly seven hours on the school’s campus in 2024. The case has renewed national discussions about sexual violence and drawn outrage on college campuses across the country.
The University’s approach to preventing sexual harassment and assault is “unwavering,” Jameson said during the meeting. Penn plans to expand its education and awareness efforts and increase its Title IX capacity, he added.
Jameson referred to the recent launch of the Center for Civil Rights, which consolidated the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs, the Office of the Associate Vice President for Equity & Title IX, and the Office of Religious and Ethnic Interests under a single entity. Penn announced CCR’s leadership last month, appointing Michele Rovinsky-Mayer to continue her work leading the University’s Title IX efforts.
“Everyone at Penn has the right to be safe, respected, and heard, and we condemn sexual misconduct and violence in all forms,” Jameson wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “As part of our ongoing commitment to doing better, we are strengthening our approach to prevention through expanded education and awareness efforts, additional Title IX capacity, and the work of our Center for Civil Rights.”
The center aims to “strengthen our approach to prevention,” keep policies up to date, and “foster allyship,” Jameson said at the Oct. 14 meeting.
“Our policies and resources matter, and the culture we build together matters just as much,” Jameson wrote to the DP. “This is an area where Penn can be a national model of excellence, and that will require all of us to continue this work with urgency, transparency, and accountability.”
That goal, to position Penn as a leader in eliminating sexual harassment and violence, recalls a call to action Jameson made ahead of the annual Take Back the Night march in April.
“Even one incident is one too many,” Jameson wrote at the time.
Penn Abuse and Sexual Assault Prevention pushed for more details regarding the new center at last month’s Council meeting. Since then, members of CCR and other administrators have met with the group — alongside the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Undergraduate Assembly — according to the secretary of the University Council.
Representatives from several student organizations continued to discuss the University’s Title IX policies at Wednesday’s open forum session. College senior and UA President Musab Chummun argued that “Title IX needs reform,” adding that it is “not enough to do the bare minimum required by law.”
At the open forum, Chummun also connected the issue to his broader criticism of Penn’s governance approach. The University, he said, has a “pervasive, defining, and all-encompassing” problem of following “directives as boxes to check off.”
In a message to the University community last month, the UA condemned Cornell’s response to the incident and announced the formation of a committee aimed at improving Penn’s existing policies.
“This tragic event reflects a broader reality across higher education, and Penn is no exception,” Chummun wrote in a Sept. 28 email to undergraduates. “As a community, it is important that we stand by survivors and hold perpetrators accountable.”
A representative from the Penn Association for Gender Equity argued that the Cornell lawsuit “raised hard questions about whether Title IX offices are serving their purpose.” The University’s Title IX office has insufficient resources, according to the student.
“Our institution is only at the forefront of change if there is a safe model for us to follow,” the representative said, adding that “verbal commitment has never and will never suffice.”
Penn for Immigrant Rights also emphasized how changes around Title IX heavily affect undocumented survivors, calling for “culturally competent support” to bolster “a sense of security in this country.”
An ASAP representative described the current “unease, sadness, and frustration” on campus. They highlighted the importance of upholding a “daily fight” for survivors.
“What happens when the news settles down?” the spokesperson asked. “Do not just let this be another passing headline.”
One member of the United Minorities Council referenced a 1983 gang rape case involving Penn’s Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.
“What makes Penn different from Cornell?” they asked. “Sexual misconduct is not an abstract concern.”
Senior reporter Kathryn Ye contributed reporting.
Senior reporter James Wan leads administration reporting and can be reached at wan@thedp.com. At Penn, he studies communication and computer science. Follow him on X @JamesWan__.
