U.S. Department of Justice visits Logan campus under Title IX compliance

When an Aggie hears the term Title IX, it is often associated with an online training of sorts that occurs in the fall semester, but what the typical Aggie may not know is the heavy-handed past, present and future of Title IX compliance at Utah State University.  

According to the United States Courts website, Title XI Education Amendments of 1972 were put in place to prevent discrimination based on sex in any educational institution that receives federal funding.  

In February 2020, USU and the U.S. Department of Justice, or DOJ, entered into a settlement agreement after an investigation concluded USU had not been complying with Title IX procedures.  

Now, four and a half years later, USU was put on notice for “substantial non-compliance” by a letter sent from the DOJ on Aug. 21.  

“Specifically, the University has failed to take prompt, equitable, and effective steps to remedy an ongoing hostile environment within its football program, as required by Section VII. A of the Agreement,” the letter read.  

More on this letter and the university’s response can be found in a previous article by The Utah Statesman. 

On Nov. 6-8, the DOJ visited USU’s Logan campus as a part of their “compliance monitoring.” Members of the DOJ held office hours in the Eccles Conference Center for students, faculty and staff. 

“Any member of the community who is interested in meeting with the DOJ team is encouraged to attend office hours. All are encouraged to speak candidly, and all viewpoints are welcome. USU attorneys and staff will not be present for or part of any conversations with DOJ during office hours. Regardless, federal law prohibits USU from retaliating against you for speaking to the DOJ team,” wrote Title IX coordinator Cody Carmichael in a mass email sent out on Oct. 31. 

The Utah Statesman attempted to meet with the DOJ in the Eccles Conference Center but was turned away. The Statesman also made an effort to reach out to the DOJ via email. They failed to respond prior to the time of publication.  

USUSA President Matthew Richey did speak in person with the DOJ.  

“They care about the relationship that we developed. We have that agreement with them, and it’s just a very big signal that they’re watching us closely, but I think it’s also a good opportunity for the university to get some feedback on the things that we are actively doing to try and honor that agreement. Obviously, there were some concerns about it. I believe everything that I’m aware of says that those concerns have been addressed, but I’m still interested to see what kind of recommendations they have to make things,” Richey said.  

Richey declined to comment on the current relationship between the DOJ and USU Athletics but did voice support for students who utilized the DOJ as a resource during their visit.   

“I think if we’re really committed to making Utah State a better university and community, we will take the effort to, you know, step up and speak out when we do see issues. Yeah, whether it be to the university administration, to your student leaders — who can sometimes do something about it — or the Department of Justice, speaking out about issues is important,” Richey said.  

Amanda DeRito, associate vice president for strategic communications for USU explained further in an email to the Statesman what the DOJ visit meant for the university and USU Athletics moving forward.  

“The best resource for understanding the U.S. Department of Justice’s noncompliance finding is in the notice itself, available from the USU webpage about our agreement with the them. We are working closely with the DOJ to continually review and improve USU’s prevention of and response to sexual misconduct, including to address concerns about climate issues in Athletics. The input gathered during their visit will inform USU’s ongoing work and the Office of Equity’s strategic planning. The Athletics department, including the administration, coaches, and student-athletes, are actively engaged in these efforts, and we are grateful for their commitment and excited about the future of USU Athletics,” DeRito wrote.