Content warning: This article contains references to sexual violence.

Reports of sexual misconduct increased by 26.9%, from 175 to 222, in the 2023-24 academic year, according to the 2023-24 Title IX/Sexual Harassment Annual Report published last Wednesday. This is the highest number of annual reported incidents since the 2018-19 academic year.

Historically, the annual report has been published in December of the following academic year.

“We are continuing to make improvements to our data management workflows and system in order to improve the publication process and timeline,” Title IX coordinator Adrienne Lyles and vice provost for institutional equity, access and community Patrick Dunkley wrote in the report.

Dunkley attributed the delayed publication of the report to several transitions within the SHARE office.

Lyles was hired as the new Title IX coordinator in April following the previous director’s departure from the University in summer of 2024. Additionally, “the portfolio of the [SHARE] office expanded in fall 2024 to encompass both Title IX as well as Title VI, the federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin,” Dunkley wrote in an email to The Daily.

19% of these incidents were categorized as sexual harassment in a workplace or academic setting — the largest category within the report. Two staff members of undisclosed gender identities were terminated after being found guilty of policy violations. Eight staff members were given written warnings and two required intervention to address a concern without  formal investigation. Two faculty members faced corrective action in response to partial or full policy violations.

Sexual harassment in a student setting and stalking were the most common reported incidents after sexual harassment in the workplace, with 34 and 31 reported cases respectively.

Additionally, there were two cases of accused induced incapacitation, both of which concluded because there was not enough information to proceed with a resolution. The report documented three accusations of recording and/or distributing sexual activity, of which one student was found responsible in an investigation.

Of the 222 cases reported, there were five cases that ended in informal resolution, two that were mandatorily dismissed and one where the accused was found responsible in a hearing. 

There were 17 reports of non-consensual intercourse, including penetration or oral sex. These incidents constitute criminal offenses, as outlined under California Penal Code 266c. Of these reports, one student was found responsible in a hearing and given a suspension.

At the end of the academic year, seven of the reported cases were considered “matters in progress,” meaning there was no investigatory conclusion or resolution at the close of the 2023-24 academic year. 

As mentioned in the 2022-23 annual report, there was the addition of new investigative staff within the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response & Education (SHARE) Title IX Office in the 2023-24 academic year.

The SHARE Office implemented new prevention efforts in light of the report’s findings, attempting to reduce campus sexual violence. The report stated that SHARE continued to hone training and outreach programs, including a set of additional training videos that garnered over 3,500 views.

Dunkley also wrote that, with the expansion of the SHARE office to include Title VI, the office is “identifying priorities moving forward.” “The overarching goal for the SHARE Title IX and Title VI Office is to be the central resource for providing educational programming and addressing all reports of discrimination and discriminatory harassment with compassion and in full compliance of the law,” Dunkley wrote.

There are currently no anticipated changes to investigative or resolutionary procedures within the SHARE office.

SHARE also collaborated with the Substance Use Programs Education and Resources (SUPER) Office to create a Prevent Educate, Empower Refer (PEER) program to provide more education about “sexual citizenship, substance use, and mental health and well-being,” according to the report. The SHARE Office also continued programs such as Beyond Sex Ed and Online Sexual Assault Prevention Training for undergraduate and graduate students.

This article was updated to include a statement from Dunkley.