Aug. 14, 2020

To the UMB Community:

On May 13, 2020, I communicated that the U.S. Department of Education had issued final amended regulations (the "Final Rule") regarding Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

In response to the Final Rule, the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) has released its Policy on Sexual Misconduct (VI-1.60(A)), which replaces the previous Policy Prohibiting Sexual Misconduct and Sex and Gender-Based Discrimination. This policy addresses the new requirements for defining and responding to reports of sexual misconduct. These changes are significant and, in some cases, require live hearings as part of the formal response. 

In addition to the policy, UMB has issued two procedures that provide detailed expectations for the processes that will be used to respond to sexual misconduct:

• UMB Procedures for Resolving Sexual Misconduct Complaints Under the Jurisdiction of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 ("Title IX Procedures") 
• UMB Procedures for Resolving Sexual Misconduct Complaints Outside the Jurisdiction of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 ("Non-Title IX Procedures") 

This policy and the procedures can be accessed from the UMB Policies and Procedures Library located here.

UMB's Office of Accountability and Compliance is operating remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, and our Title IX staff remains committed to providing information, resources, and assistance to our community. If you have questions, staff members are available via email at titleixcompliance@umaryland.edu or by telephone at 410-706-2281. 

As always, if you have experienced, witnessed, or suspect someone has violated UMB's Policy on Sexual Misconduct, please do one of the following: 

• Report it via the UMB hotline.
• Report it by calling 866-594-5220.
• Contact Stephanie Suerth, UMB’s Acting Title IX Coordinator, 410-706-5212, ssuerth@umaryland.edu or Marc Ware, UMB’s Deputy Title IX Coordinator, 410-706-1852, mware@umaryland.edu .

The University has worked diligently to respond to the changes in the requirements while affirming our commitment to an environment that is free from sex and gender-based discrimination. 

Sincerely,

Susan Buskirk, DM, MS

Chief Accountability Officer and Vice President