Statement re: Harvard Law School Voluntary Resolution Agreement

Harvard University and Harvard Law School (HLS) are deeply committed to fostering a campus climate that is free of sexual harassment, including sexual violence. As the conversation about sexual assault at colleges and universities spread to campuses across the nation, Harvard recognized that, like many peer institutions around the country, we could and should do more. With that recognition in mind, over the past two years, Harvard not only adopted a new University-wide policy on sexual and gender-based harassment but also launched a task force to recommend ways to more effectively prevent gender-based discrimination, including sexual assault; added new resources to focus on prevention and supporting those who have experienced sexual assault; and announced plans to conduct a campus climate survey. In addition, HLS has adopted new procedures, which reflect the School’s distinct pedagogical mission, for administering and processing Title IX complaints under the new University-wide policy.

This voluntary resolution agreement approves and enshrines many of the pro-active changes Harvard has made in recent years. In the coming months and years, HLS and the University will continue the critical work of preventing sexual harassment and assault among our students, faculty and staff, and responding effectively when incidents do occur.