Loyola University Chicago

Office of the Dean of Students

Division of Student Development

Affirmation of Support

DOS Responds to Social Media

In recent weeks, a small group of students made a public statement on social media alleging that the Office of the Dean of Students had mishandled “several sexual assault cases” during the Fall 2016 semester. We wish to reassure the student body at Loyola University Chicago that this accusation is absolutely untrue. On the contrary, the Office of the Dean of Students is proud to have responded with care, diligence, and professionalism to more reports of gender-based misconduct this semester than ever before.

With that said, we recognize and honor that in one instance, a student who reported a crime elsewhere within the University was not immediately directed to our office for support, which left that student understandably dissatisfied with the response of the University overall. In this case, as with any time when we are aware of a mistake within our reporting structures, the Office of the Dean of Students and relevant campus partners worked quickly to inform appropriate personnel and remedy the error. To this end, we welcome and encourage any student, staff, or faculty member with concerns of their own to utilize the EthicsLine system to register a complaint. Doing so allows us to investigate the matter promptly and continually improve the University’s response.

Unfortunately, due to the criticism mistakenly directed at the Office of the Dean of Students, we recognize that some survivors and other members of our Loyola community may now feel some hesitation or mistrust about utilizing our services. This concerns us greatly, as we know that there continue to be Loyola students and others in our community who will inevitably – unfortunately – need the resources and support that we provide.

To the student body at Loyola, we recognize that talk is cheap, and action is far more important. So even as we reaffirm our commitment to being a trustworthy, caring, sensitive, and culturally competent resource for addressing gender-based discrimination and misconduct; we are prepared to demonstrate this by continuing to improve and enhance our services to bring greater awareness and transparency to our processes and procedures.

Our Title IX Deputy Coordinator is Assistant Dean Courtney Bilbrey, who oversees the University’s response to all incidents of gender-based discrimination and misconduct involving students. If any student would feel more comfortable working with someone who identifies as male, Associate Dean Tim Love works closely with Courtney in this work and is equally well-equipped to provide such support.

Any student who is still hesitant to seek out resources through the Office of the Dean of Students should consider accessing resources instead through the Health Education Team of the Wellness Center. Specifically, Assistant Director Mira Krivoshey and Senior Health Educator Robin Berman, supported by the Coordinated Community Response Team and Loyola’s sexual assault advocates, can also help survivors access available academic, housing, safety, counseling, and other support, while maintaining the confidentiality of the survivor’s identity.

Thank you, Loyola, for continuing to trust our office with this important work; we remain honored to serve you.

Updated 12/10/2018 to reflect staffing changes