April 17, 2023 - Implementation Team Named and Ready to Receive Cozen O’Connor Report

Dear Campus Community,
 
Just like many of you, I have been eagerly awaiting the results of the Cozen O’Conner review. The Cozen team will present findings of its CSU systemwide Title IX and Discrimination Harassment and Retaliation (DHR) Assessment during an open session of the California State University Board of Trustees on May 24. The report will cover themes, observations, and recommendations that are consistent across most CSU campuses, recommendations concerning systemwide programming and services, and, most importantly, specific observations and recommendations related to each individual campus.
 
I have appointed an Implementation Team that will evaluate and implement the firm’s specific recommendations for Chico State. The members of the team area:

• Assistant Vice President of Equal Opportunity & Dispute Resolution – Dylan Saake (co-chair)
• Chief of Staff – Seema Sehrawat (co-chair)
• Associated Students President for 2023-24 – Autumn Alaniz-Wiggins
• Associate Vice President for Academic Personnel – Mahalley Allen
• Department Chair, Journalism and Public Relations – Janell Bauer
• Director of Equal Opportunity & Compliance – Gloria Godinez
• Basic Needs Project – Emma Jewett
• Academic Personnel Director of Labor Relations – William Scott Lynch
• Advocate/Administrator, Wellcat Safe Place – Sawyer McAvoy
• Director, Student Rights and Responsibilities – Maleta Wilson
• Associate Vice President for Human Resources – Sheryl Woodward

The Implementation Team will convene this month to begin its work with the Cozen O’Connor team. Their first responsibility is to develop a deeper understanding of the framework of the assessment; the evidence base and process for reaching observations and recommendations; the goals that form the basis for the recommendation; and how to be prepared to receive the upcoming report and successfully move forward.
 
Dylan Saake, as Title IX Coordinator and DHR Administrator on our campus, will be responsible for designing and planning the steps necessary to implement the recommendations, with assistance from the Cozen O’Connor team and the Chancellor’s Office Title IX/DHR team. The roles of the other Implementation Team members will be to help facilitate and support the implementation of this plan in a manner consistent with agreed-upon timelines, the goals of the assessment, and campus culture.
 
I look forward to learning more and working with the Implementation Team to respond to the recommendations for our campus.
 
Sincerely,
Gayle E. Hutchinson