By Ellen Miller, IOA Executive Director 

For the past several months, IOA and our Advocacy Committee have been very busy. 

Following the filing of IOA's Title IX Comments last September, Advocacy Committee Co-Chairs Sarah Klaper and Mark Patterson, and I met with 10+ Congressional offices, including staff of the US Senate's Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and the US House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce.  These meetings successfully raised awareness about the role of organizational ombuds and why ombuds should be considered confidential employees regarding Title IX and campus security.  The meetings were well-received and illuminating.    

Congressional meetings resulted in a joint, bipartisan letter to the Department of Education supporting IOA's technical comments, and a request for IOA to provide comments on draft legislation. We also issued a press release.

Read the Press Release

Next month, we meet with the Department of Education to discuss campus security issues as the DOE prepares to make changes to Clery guidance.   

If you have any questions or these efforts or IOA's other external relations work, please reach out to Ellen Miller.