Louisiana State University Title IX Review
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Louisiana State University Title IX Review March 3, 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Background ......................................................................................................................... 4 II. Summary of Institutional Policies and Personnel ............................................................... 6 A. LSU’s Title IX Policy and Office Structure ........................................................... 7 B. Student Advocacy and Accountability.................................................................. 13 C. The Lighthouse Program....................................................................................... 15 D. Human Resource Management ............................................................................. 15 E. LSU Police Department ........................................................................................ 15 III. Summary of LSU Employee Reporting Policies .............................................................. 18 A. Applicable Guidance ............................................................................................. 18 B. LSU Employee Reporting Policies ....................................................................... 21 C. Employee Title IX Training .................................................................................. 23 IV. Internal and External Risk Management Assessments Relating to Title IX ..................... 36 A. Communications from Community Members ...................................................... 37 B. 2016-17 Dan Beebe Group Assessment ............................................................... 37 C. Presidential Task Force ......................................................................................... 38 D. Presentation by Title IX Coordinator .................................................................... 42 E. 2017 Internal Audit Report ................................................................................... 44 F. 2018 Baker Tilly Athletics Risk Assessment........................................................ 44 G. 2019 Morgan Lewis Review ................................................................................. 44 H. March 2, 2021 NASA Review .............................................................................. 46 V. Tone at the Top in Athletics.............................................................................................. 47 VI. Summary of Files Connected to USA Today Article ....................................................... 53 A. Drake Davis .......................................................................................................... 54 B. Derrius Guice ........................................................................................................ 92 C. Respondent A ...................................................................................................... 101 D. Respondent B ...................................................................................................... 114 E. Respondent C ...................................................................................................... 116 F. Respondent D ...................................................................................................... 117 G. Respondent E ...................................................................................................... 119 H. Respondent F ...................................................................................................... 120 I. Respondent G ...................................................................................................... 124 J. Respondent H ...................................................................................................... 127 K. Respondent I ....................................................................................................... 129 VII. Summary of Information from Other Case File Reviews ............................................... 131 VIII. Community Input Summary ........................................................................................... 133 IX. Recommendations ........................................................................................................... 136 i President Galligan: As you know, in November 2020, USA Today published an article titled “LSU mishandled sexual misconduct complaints against students, including top athletes”1 which chronicles a number of incidents where Louisiana State University2 purportedly mishandled reports of sexual and related misconduct. In response to this article, the University retained Husch Blackwell to conduct an independent review of various Title IX-related incidents, including the items identified in the story, with the goal of answering at least three broad questions: 1. Whether the University and its employees handled the matters identified by the USA Today article in a manner consistent with obligations under Title IX,3 widely recognized best practices, and University policy; 2. Whether Title IX-related misconduct involving LSU student athletes has been systematically siloed in the University’s Athletics Department and not shared with the University’s Title IX Office; and 3. Whether the University is appropriately handling Title IX-related matters which are reported to its Title IX Office. Additionally, to the extent information gleaned over the course of our review uncovered concerns, you asked Husch Blackwell to make recommendations (informed by community input) designed to address those concerns with the overarching goal of meaningfully improving LSU’s efforts to prevent and effectively respond to sex-based misconduct and creating a Title IX program that the University community could have confidence in. Husch Blackwell began its review in late November 2020. We appreciate the cooperation and assistance we have received from various members of the University community to our myriad requests for information. Since being retained, Husch Blackwell has interviewed nearly 50 current and former University employees, students, witnesses, and other University community stakeholders. 1 Kenny Jacoby, LSU mishandled sexual misconduct complaints against students, including top athletes, USA TODAY, November 16, 2020, https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/sports/ncaaf/2020/11/16/lsu-ignored-campus-sexual- assault-allegations-against-derrius-guice-drake-davis-other-students/6056388002/. Throughout this report, we refer to this article as the “USA Today article.” 2 Throughout this report, we refer to Louisiana State University as “LSU” or the “University.” All references to LSU or University are limited to the Baton Rouge campus. 3 The University requested Husch Blackwell to assess whether the University’s handling of Title IX-related matters was consistent with institutional Title IX obligations. The contours of those obligations have evolved over the approximately 50 years since Title IX became law and changed considerably when the Trump Administration promulgated new Title IX regulations which became effective in August 2020. A comprehensive review of the University’s compliance with the Clery Act was outside the scope of our review. Nevertheless, Clery Act compliance is a significant piece of any institution’s overall federal compliance obligations, and there is considerable overlap between Title IX and Clery compliance. With that as backdrop, we have identified Clery Act compliance concerns throughout this report. 1 HB: 4848-0171-9519.1 As part of the review, we also requested and reviewed various policies, documents, and communications, including, but not limited to: • Policies and procedures relating to Title IX compliance for students and employees, including: o Permanent Memorandum 73 – Title IX and Sexual Misconduct Policy (revised 2014, 2015, 2020) o Policy Statement 73 – Sexual Harassment (last revised 2016) o Policy Statement 95 – Sexual Harassment of Students (last revised April 2016) o Student Code of Conduct (2018) • Athletics Department staff and student employee policies and procedures • Title IX training materials for all University employees from 2015 to present • Organizational charts for University offices with Title IX compliance functions • Documents and communications relating to Title IX Office staffing and resources • Personnel files for employees with Title IX responsibilities • Personnel files for selected employees relating to discipline for violations of the University’s Title IX policy • Documents and information relating to previous Department of Education Office of Civil Rights compliance reviews and resolution agreements from 2015 to present • Documents, communications, and information relating to reviews of Title IX compliance by internal and external providers • Reporting forms and other communications and documentation of Title IX complaints • Current and previous versions of the Student Code of Conduct • Over 60 Title IX investigation case files from 2015 to present4 • Communications between the Title IX Office and parties to investigations • Meeting agendas and notes from the LSU CARE and Title IX Case Management Teams Our recommendations are also based, in part, on feedback provided by a diverse group of University stakeholders, including representatives from: • Title IX Office • Tigers Against Sexual Assault (TASA) • Student Advocacy and Accountability • The Lighthouse Program • Student Government, Department of • Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response Safety, “We’re Committed” Program (STAR)5