Former interim president George Hynd announced a follow-up Campus Climate Survey in 2021 in response to previous results from 2017, which sparked a string of student-led protests addressing sexual misconduct at Winthrop; however, this plan never came to fruition.
Hynd’s original press release said, “we are committed to issuing another Campus Climate Survey for next academic year so we can compare the current climate against 2017 and determine our next steps as part of our continuing efforts to adhere appropriately to the provisions of Title IX and cases of possible sexual harassment or assault on campus. We will be intentional about sharing the results of that survey with the entirety of our community.”
The Johnsonian has since received a response to a FOIA request for its results, as they could not be located online. According to Winthrop’s general councilman and FOIA officer Todd Hagins, no Campus Climate Survey was conducted in 2021-2022 due to COVID-19.
Seeing as COVID-19 restrictions were pulled back in March of 2022—the campus’ mask mandate was repealed on March 14– The Johnsonian also reached out to President Serna for comment.
He said in a correspondence with The Johnsonian that plans for a 2021 Campus Climate Survey were “put on hold for updated federal guidance related to Title IX policy and the federal 2022 Appropriations Act.”
He also said, “I anticipate Winthrop being able to survey in spring 2024 as provided in federal law.
The law Serna is referencing is the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which was reauthorised by the Biden administration on March 15, 2022.
The legislation requires that institutions of higher learning receiving federal funding must administer Campus Climate Surveys every two years to examine student’s experiences with stalking, sexual assault and domestic violance, among other crimes of that nature.
The university’s Title IX Coordinator, Kevin Sheppard, has not yet responded to The Johnsonian’s request for comment.
It is currently unclear who might manage the team of administrators in charge of the next Campus Climate Survey, primarily because of vice president Kimberly Faust’s departure.
The Johnsonian is reaching out to administrators who were involved in the 2017 process to determine what might be the next course of action.
Winthrop Police did not have access to previous plans or results pertaining to these surveys, per an email from police chief Charles Yearta on March 6.
More updates will be published as more information is discovered.
