The 2022-23 academic year has seen some changes in regards to the university personnel responsible for overseeing student conduct and Title IX.
Title IX, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in June, is a federal law that was included in the Education Amendments of 1972. According to the U.S. Department of Education’s website, “Title IX protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance.”
Human Resources Manager Abbey Boyd is now serving as Title IX coordinator, a position previously held by former Dean of Students Jesse Brown. After the university dissolved the Dean of Students position last school year, Brown continued to serve as Title IX coordinator until the end of the academic year.
Boyd started at Taylor University in July, taking over for interim Title IX coordinator Jodie Ferise.
As Title IX coordinator, Boyd is charged with ensuring the university remains compliant with its own policies as well as federal law. She said not everything related to Title IX requires disciplinary action or involvement from police. If something is brought to Boyd’s attention that does not fall under Title IX, she would then be responsible for getting the student in touch with the individual best suited for handling that specific issue.
Starting this academic year, the office of Human Resources is tasked with handling the responsibilities of Title IX coordination. Previously, both Title IX coordination and disciplinary action fell under the umbrella of Student Development.
“We’re allowing for that separation so that there can be a little more objectivity,” Boyd said.
With Boyd serving as the new Title IX coordinator, Chief of Police Jeff Wallace, Associate Vice President for Student Development and Director of Residence Life Julia Hurlow and Vice President for Student Development and Chair of the Master of Arts in Higher Education Program Skip Trudeau are in charge of addressing student misconduct.
Wallace came to Taylor in 2003 and was promoted to chief of police in 2006. He has been reporting to Trudeau for nearly two decades. He said he enjoys the opportunity to work closely with both Hurlow and Trudeau.
For Wallace, one of the reasons why the trio can be effective is because each individual doesn’t shy away from stepping into difficult situations with students.
“We want to step into that stuff because we care about the student (and) we want to make sure it’s dealt with and handled in a fashion that would be fitting of who we are as brothers and sisters in Christ,” Wallace said.
Even with both Student Development and HR ready to assist students, Wallace, Trudeau, Hurlow and Boyd can’t step into a difficult situation if they don’t know one exists.
Wallace doesn’t want students shouldering a burden to stay silent.
“We never want a student to feel isolated,” Wallace said. “I don’t care what the event is. Reach out (and) seek assistance (and) seek help.”
Boyd is also encouraging students to contact her if they are experiencing something difficult.
“And Sickler (Hall) is not easy to find, (so) I am happy to meet students anywhere across campus or off campus, someplace that’s comfortable to answer questions and talk about situations,” Boyd said.
The office of Human Resources is located inside Sickler Hall, which is sandwiched between Samuel Morris Hall and Swallow Robin Hall.
Additional information regarding Title IX at Taylor can be found at https://www.taylor.edu/about/title-ix. The Taylor University Counseling Center can be reached by calling 765-998-5222 or by emailing counselingcenter@taylor.edu. Wallace and Boyd can be reached at jfwallace@taylor.edu and abbey_boyd@taylor.edu, respectively. Reach the National Sexual Assault Hotline by dialling 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
