Emporia State is in the process of hiring a full time Title IX Coordinator. Currently, the search has been narrowed down to three candidates, who will be interviewed at the end of this week and the beginning of next week.
“This person will handle all things Title IX, they’ll be the go-to person, they’ll make decisions…receive reports, evaluate reports, they’ll conduct investigations, or determine that someone outside needs to conduct an investigation if that’s the case,” said Kevin Johnson, general counsel.
The addition for a full-time position dedicated to Title IX is new for the university. Previously, ESU had a Deputy Title IX Coordinator, Lisa Moritz, who also served other roles on campus. Ray Lauber, director of human resources, was the director of Title IX.
Rather than directly reporting to Lauber or Johnson, the coordinator will be an independent role and will function as the Title IX department of the general counsel, according to Johnson. The position will focus solely on Title IX.
One of the deciding factors for creating a full-time position was a workshop on Title IX that Lauber and Johnson attended.
“Part of what resonated was the fact that as each coordinator or investigator talked about, particularly the schools where they were wearing multiple hats, they talked about the amount of time that they spent on Title IX and other activities,” Lauber said. “The effect not only that that had on the Title IX work that they were doing, but also on the job that they were technically hired for.”
The second catalyst was Moritz resigning from the deputy coordinator role, according to Lauber. Her resignation left the role open and allowed them to reevaluate the position and begin the process of creating a full-time position, according to Johnson and Lauber.
“I have simply decided to go back to doing what I truly love, teaching students, and really don’t have anything more to say about my personal decision,” Mortiz said in an email to The Bulletin.
The proposal to create the position was approved by President Allison Garrett over the summer and a search committee was created in August to look for candidates, according to Johnson. Lauber and Johnson served on the committee, along with two administrators and a student.
All of the candidates that will be interviewed, and will give public presentations, are lawyers.
“We thought that having a JD (Juris Doctor degree), whether or not licensed and practicing, would be helpful,” Johnson. “Part of it is analyzing the law, there’s a lot of legal issues involved in Title IX, no matter what your role is, some experience with investigations, some experience with dealing with people under difficult times.”
Van Williamson will give his public presentation at 2:30 p.m. Friday in the Kanza Room. Williamson is a Texas based lawyer who practices criminal law, according to the Texas Bar.
Elizabeth Oliver will give her public presentation at 2:30 p.m. Monday in the Kanza Room. Oliver is an Ottawa based lawyer at Oliver Law Ltd. and an adjunct professor at Neosho County Community College, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Marjorie Nanian will give her public presentation at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Kanza Room. Nanian is a Florida based Lawyer who practices civil and criminal law, according to her LinkedIn profile.
