Ohio Governor John Kasich has called on the state department of higher education to review Title IX enforcement on college campuses.
The request comes on the heels of the Nassar scandal that is currently plaguing Michigan State. Former physician Larry Nassar has been accused of sexually abusing more than 265 women and girls during his time as a doctor at Michigan State and with USA Gymnastics.
Nassar has been sentenced to 60 years in prison on federal pornography charges and another 40 to 175 years for sexual abuse charges.
Since then, Michigan State has come under severe scrutiny for its handling of reported sexual assault, forcing much of the school’s cabinet to resign or retire.
“It is second nature for the governor to look into major issues in the news to make sure Ohio has the right measures in place. He has asked staff and the department of higher education to look into what happened at Michigan State,” Jon Keeling, a spokesman for Kasich wrote in an email to WHIO.
The request was received by the Ohio Department of Higher Education and details on a possible review may come as early as next week, according to spokesman Jeff Robinson.
There are currently 18 active Title IX investigations at Ohio colleges. Miami University and the College of Wooster are tied for the most active probes with three ongoing investigations, while Ohio State University and the University of Cincinnati both have two active investigations.
In 2015 under Governor Kasich, the state launched a program called “Changing Campus Culture” using $2 million in state funding. The state department was charged with developing model best practices for preventing and responding to campus sexual assault. Input was sought and received from campus presidents, advocacy groups and campus and community experts, according to Ohio Higher Ed.
It was suggested that the $2 million be spent in five specific areas, including disseminating campus climate surveys, data analysis of those surveys, bulk training programs and online resources.
As of July 2017, 98 percent of Ohio campuses implemented evidence-based training programs, 86 percent created awareness campaigns and 100 percent implemented at least one survivor-centered strategy.
