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PROVO — Brigham Young University has hired two new employees in the wake of the university’s policy changes related to the handling of sexual assault reports on campus.
Tiffany Turley will serve as the university’s new Title IX coordinator and Lisa M. Leavitt as a full-time advocate for victims of sexual assault. The new positions are a result of a months-long study undertaken by the university to improve its response to sexual assault allegations.
An advisory council, organized in May by BYU President Kevin Worthen, recommeded that the university make several policy changes, including hiring a full-time Title IX coordinator who could give more attention to sexual assault reports. Previously, the Title IX coordinator had multiple responsibilities. The victim advocate position is new to BYU.
The university’s “first priority” was to “provide for our students a positive, safe and supportive environment,” Janet S. Scharman, vice president of student life at BYU, said in a statement. She said hiring Turley and Leavitt was a “significant step” in ensuring that priority was met.
Turley, a certified crisis counselor through the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault, is the manager of BYU’s Women’s Services and Resources where she instituted outreach programs for prevention, awareness and education about women's issues. She will be stepping down as manager to take on the Title IX position. She also worked on projects with the Rape Recovery Center in Salt Lake City.
According to the release, Turley is a survivor of sexual assault and is a “passionate advocate for women and those impacted by sexual violence.”
“Having been through these experiences myself, I feel I’ll be able to effectively empathize with victims and reassure them of the importance of obtaining professional help that will allow them to endure and ultimately heal from their trauma,” Turley said in a Q-and-A session with university spokeswoman Carri Jenkins.
Leavitt has worked as a licensed psychologist in BYU’s student counseling center for 12 years. Based on her experience, Leavitt said she hopes to provide a “safe and confidential space” for victims of sexual assault to turn to.
“I have witnessed firsthand the trauma, confusion and loss of control students experience when they have been the victim of a sexual assault,” Leavitt said at the same Q-and-A session. “Often victims are confused as to the type of support available, and they worry about confidentiality and safety.
“Having an experienced person on campus who is familiar with the devastating effects of assault and who can help victims navigate that process increases the likelihood of them taking back a sense of control and moving forward in more healthy and positive ways,” she added. “I believe the new victim advocate position at BYU provides such a space for our students.”
The Advisory Council on Campus Response to Sexual Assault made 23 recommendations to the President’s Council that were fully adopted in October 2016. As a result, the university immediately made five of the recommendations policies, including an amnesty clause that allowed victims of sexual assault to report the crime without fear of being reported to the school’s Honor Code Office.
The new Title IX Office will now be separate from the Honor Code Office and the information shared with the Title IX Office will not be shared with the Honor Code Office unless the victim consents to the sharing of information.
In a letter addressed to the university in October, Worthen said: “Sexual assault is an abhorrent offense that violates sacred doctrines — such as moral agency, the sanctity of the body and the sacred nature of marriage and sexual intimacy — that are central to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Sexual assault cannot and will not be tolerated at BYU.”
