To Whom It May Concern:



Due to allegations and previous findings about the extent of sexual assault at Baylor University, I believe it is time for current students and alumni of Baylor University to speak out against those who are still at Baylor and failed to protect and care for students correctly. Allow me to first make clear that the intentions of this petition have nothing to do with football or to second guess the removals of previous staff members, but rather to call for a further cleaning out of this administration.



Both the Pepper Hamilton Findings of Fact and Recommendations to the Board or Regents repeatedly say that Baylor’s implementation of Title IX was “slow, ad hoc, diffuse, and uncoordinated.” Full implementation of Title IX requires a fully funded and staffed office with investigators, coordinators, and counselors for victims to be able to anonymously report an allegation of sexual misconduct. Baylor did not have a fully staffed Title IX office until Fall 2014 and failed to adjust their policy to correctly address sexual violence until Fall 2015. Further, Baylor did not begin training students or faculty on how to correctly operate under Title IX until the 2014-15 school year, which can be directly attributed to this lackadaisical effort to fund and staff a Title IX office.



Certain senior members of the administration who are still employed by the University are to blame for Baylor’s failure to comply with Title IX and failure to correctly train staff. They were in charge of student safety, government compliance, and human resources and did not care enough to correctly implement Title IX. The issues surrounding sexual assault and misconduct at Baylor represent more than a football problem; this is a complete failure at all levels to correctly handle sexual misconduct at Baylor University. Pepper Hamilton confirms this at multiple junctures throughout their findings:



- It says that there was “a lack of institutional support and engagement by senior leadership” to institute Title IX.

- Pepper Hamilton asserts that there was a “belief by many administrators that sexual violence ‘doesn’t happen here.’”

- “Administrators engaged in conduct that could be perceived as victim-blaming, focusing on the complainant’s choices and actions.”



These notes and many more reflect the failures of the administration to correctly fund and implement Title IX. However, the Board of Regents would have us believe that the only people who are culpable for these failures were the President, the Athletic Director, and the Head Football Coach.

Even more, the media would have us believe that the failures at Baylor are totally related to the football program. Were there players and coaches who are to blame? Absolutely. However, 90% of sexual assault allegations had nothing to do with football players, and the former Title IX coordinator at Baylor confirms that there was a culture problem at the highest levels of the University. Patty Crawford alleges throughout her lawsuit that members of the senior administration acted contrary to her efforts to correctly find and bring to justice those who engaged in sexual misconduct. Furthermore, multiple bloggers have written about their experiences at Baylor after being sexually assaulted. Most of their experiences have nothing to do with the football program or its players. However, they all attempted to report what happened to them and were largely ignored.



That all to say, it is clear that Baylor had a problem, and there will continue to be a problem as long as those who were and remain in leadership positions at Baylor continue to serve in those roles. Certainly, Baylor has made strides over the past 12 months, but when those who are most culpable for its failures have been allowed to continue to serve in substantial roles there is clearly further action that must be taken. It is at this point that I would like to call for the resignation of Dr. Reagan Ramsower.



Dr. Ramsower is the Vice President of Finance and Operations at Baylor and is responsible for the Department of Public Safety, Human Resources, and Government Compliance. It would fall under his jurisdiction to make sure that Baylor was in full compliance of Title IX as well as to take care of the general welfare of students. He is mentioned in Patty Crawford’s lawsuit multiple times as one of the main obstacles to her work as Title IX Coordinator at Baylor University, and the departments under his oversight are mentioned throughout the Pepper Hamilton report as having a lack of support and poor systems to correctly handle sexual misconduct.



The failure to correctly implement Title IX and treat victims correctly is under these people’s jurisdiction. It was their job to make sure we were in full compliance with Title IX. It was their job to make sure that our Title IX Coordinator was supported fully by the University. It was their job to treat victims correctly. And they failed us.



The failures at Baylor University should not just be laid at the feet of football, athletics, or the president; it should be laid at the feet of those directly responsible for failing to implement and fund Title IX. As students and alumni, let us never forget the importance of our role in the future of Baylor University:



“To you seniors of the past, of the present, of the future I entrust the care of Baylor University. To you I hand the torch.” - Samuel Palmer Brooks



I hope that all of Baylor’s alumni and students will join me in this fight for justice and change at the place that has meant so much to each one of us.