To our students, alumni, and friends,
Recent days have brought difficult news to our community. None of us are immune - whether wounded or angered - this is a challenging and frustrating season. As a faith community, we are especially distressed and grieved.
As university president, it is my deep desire for the truth to be known. Given the seriousness of the allegations we took immediate action to remove the faculty member from campus and issued a suspension pending the outcome of the investigation. In addition, we offered support to the individual who brought forward the allegations.
Given the federal requirements under Title IX our response and subsequent actions are limited at this time. This required investigation process is lengthy and demands confidentiality despite significant media attention and commentary from others. As a university we are prohibited from disclosing the names of individuals involved or the facts of the case, but this does not mean that we must be silent about the grief that the situation has brought to many. I can assure you that we will continue to diligently comply with the Title IX processes to ensure a thorough investigation, and upon its conclusion will promptly take appropriate action.
The weight of this situation manifests differently for each of us. Because of this, I would remind members of the campus community of the support and counseling services that are available to them through Spiritual Development, Student Development and Human Resources and encourage their use to help facilitate the healing process.
Language often fails us in times like these. This is even truer when we need to use constraint to allow the process to take place as legally required. While the road ahead is challenging, I trust that God will provide us strength and wisdom in our pursuit of truth and justice.
With prayer for all,
President Brower