Increased Reporting Shows Greater Use of USU Resources, According to Office of Equity Review

For the third year since its inception, Utah State University’s Office of Equity has released its annual report outlining sexual misconduct and discrimination prevention as well as response efforts from August 2022 to July 2023.

The number of reports has grown each year, which is a good sign, according to Matthew Pinner, the executive director of the Office of Equity.

“More people reporting means we’re doing our job, and the culture of the university is becoming more open and transparent,” he said. “More people are aware of the options and resources available to them when there’s an experience related to misconduct. This annual report exemplifies our commitment to partnering with the campus community to increase communication and transparency across the university.”

The Office of Equity provides education, reporting options, supportive measures and a neutral administrative grievance process to address and respond to sexual misconduct and discrimination incidents at the university. The office also has a strong focus on prevention training, with most USU students and employees required to complete at least one educational session annually.

Cody Carmichael, Title IX coordinator, added that the information in the report helps adjust campus messaging to address emerging issues. The annual report includes the number and types of incident reports to the Office of Equity and the number of resulting cases. Additionally, it includes a breakdown of allegations, and information about student and employee training efforts conducted by the office.

There were 807 unique cases involving allegations of sexual misconduct or discrimination submitted to the Office of Equity from August 2022 to July 2023 — a 25% increase from the previous year. The complete 2022-23 Office of Equity annual report is available online.