Livingston County’s congresswoman is offering push back on proposed rule changes to Title IX, under which she says Michigan State University would likely not have been required to take action to protect the survivors of the Larry Nassar scandal.

On Friday, 8th District Representative Elissa Slotkin announced she submitted a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos expressing strong opposition to the Department’s proposed rule changes to Title IX. The Holly Demcorat says Secretary DeVos’s proposed rules would reduce school liability in sexual assault cases, such that institutions like Michigan State University would not be required to take action to stop perpetrators like Larry Nassar. Slotkin says the 8th District includes Michigan State University in East Lansing and she has profound concerns over how the rule would impact victims of sexual assault and harassment on college campuses. She says under the proposed rule, MSU would likely not have been required to take action to protect the survivors of the Larry Nassar scandal and that is inexcusable.

Slotkin added that all Michiganders have seen the devastating effects of MSU’s failure to implement consistent and transparent processes for investigation accusations of sexual harassment and assault. She says these processes must foster a culture in which survivors are empowered to come forward and continue their education in a safe environment. Slotkin said she believes the Department of Education’s rule fails to live up to these standards and will be a detriment to survivors, students at-large, and the academic institutions they attend. (JM)