In early May 2020, former Secretary of Education Betsy D. DeVos released a controversial Title IX rule that drummed up controversy, criticism, and confusion since it was first proposed in November 2018. DeVos â who stepped down just days ago â gave universities until Aug. 14, 2020 to update their policies to comply with federal law.
DeVosâs changes required universities to implement a grievance process in the investigation of formal Title IX complaints. In this process, both complainants and respondents will be allowed to question each other during a live hearing. The new guidance also restricts the kinds of sexual misconduct universities can investigate.
Harvard designed an âInterim Title IX Sexual Harassment Policyâ to conform with the new rule, in addition to creating an âInterim Other Sexual Misconduct Policyâ in August 2020 to âaddress misconduct that falls outside the jurisdiction of the Interim Title IX Sexual Harassment Policy.â
Harvardâs graduate student union filed a grievance against the University and met with administrators earlier this month in response to Harvardâs decision to exclude 108 students in Population Health Sciences from the unionâs bargaining unit.
Harvard Graduate Students Union-United Auto Workers filed the grievance on Dec. 3 against the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Public Health. Population Health Sciences is administered by GSAS but housed for practical purposes in SPH. The University has until Jan. 6 to issue a formal response.
Union grievance officers Eric R. Cohn and Hannah J. Pinkham from HGSU-UAWâs Contract Enforcement and Education Committee presented the unionâs case at a Step One grievance meeting on Dec. 16, which marks the first stage of the grievance process as laid out in the unionâs contract.