Fuchs said UF’s general counsel has been to Washington, D.C., to discuss how the proposed changes would impact the school.

University of Florida President Kent Fuchs said he’s concerned about proposed Title IX changes that would narrow the definition of sexual harassment and offer more rights to the accused.

The proposal, presented two weeks ago by U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, is in the midst of a 60-day public comment stage. Proposals include changing the definition of sexual harassment from "unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature" to "unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex that is so severe, pervasive and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the school’s education program or activity."

In addition, under the proposed changes, potential violations would be limited to either on-campus or university-sanctioned events, and those accused of sexual harassment would be allowed to cross-examine accusers during Title IX hearings.

“We would like to see some changes in the way (the proposal) is currently described,” Fuchs said Monday night. “The challenge universities face is we’re being put in a position of being in some sense kind of a court with judges, and it seems to be moving more toward that. And our mission is education. So we need some administrative relief.”

Fuchs said UF’s general counsel has been to Washington, D.C., to discuss how the proposed changes would impact the school.

“There could be negative ramifications when you have a very public setting for all involved, the person being accused as well as the accuser,” Fuchs said.

Fuchs said UF is working with the Association of American Universities to craft a statement during the public comment stage. The AAU is made up of 62 premier research universities in the U.S. and Canada. UF is the only school from Florida on the list.

Florida hired its current Title IX coordinator, Russell Froman, in August 2017. Before Froman’s hire, a lengthy UF Title IX investigation involving former star Gator wide receiver Antonio Callaway in 2016 made national headlines. The case stemmed from a sexual encounter in Callaway’s dorm room in December 2015.

Callaway was eventually not found responsible of wrongdoing in a case that was bumpy on both sides. Before the hearing, Callaway’s attorney, Huntley Johnson, complained that former UF Title IX Deputy Coordinator Chris Loschiavo was acting as the prosecutor, the investigator and the judge in the case. Loschiavo was replaced as hearing officer based on conflict of interest due to his connections with the victim’s lawyer, John Clune.

In turn, Clune and the victim boycotted the hearing when Florida appointed Jake Schickel, a UF graduate and scholarship club booster, as the new hearing officer. Clune claimed it was a conflict of interest to have a UF graduate hear a case involving a star athlete. In a letter to then-UF Deputy General Counsel Amy Hass, Clune wrote, “short of finding a relative of Mr. Callaway, I'm not sure how UF could have found someone with more conflicts (than) Mr. Schickel."