Lawrence Johnson, incoming director of non-descrimination and university compliance at Westfield State University (Photo Credit: Rider University)
WESTFIELD – In an email sent earlier this week, Westfield State University President Dr. Elizabeth Preston informed the school’s student body that Lawrence Johnson was hired as the new Director of Non-Descrimination and University Compliance following a national search.
Johnson, currently the associate dean of students at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey and dean of students for Rider’s Westminster Choir (Music) College in Princeton, New Jersey, will assume his new post at Westfield State on October 20.
As Director of Non-Descrimination and University Compliance, Johnson will report directly to Preston and will work with campus offices on complying with the provisions of the Clery and Violence Against Women Acts (VAWA), along with Title IX and other federal statutes.
In the email, Preston said that Johnson, an attorney, has “extensive experience in facilitating sexual harassment training to university constituencies, developing campus policies around sexual harassment, and investigating complaints of sexual harassment and sexual assault.”
She stated that Johnson has also taught courses on Title IX, VAWA, Affirmative Action, Title VI, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) through Rider’s graduate program in Organizational and Leadership Development.
“Despite ongoing efforts to prevent their occurrence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking remain very serious public health concerns, impacting both individuals and the larger community.” said Preston via email. “The statistics are shocking. Nationally, one in five women are sexually assaulted while in college.”
Preston stated that incoming students are now required to attend HAVEN (Helping Advocates for Ending Violence Now) and AlcoholEdu training, and that students who attended orientation went through bystander intervention training, and that 750 first-year students attended a “Sex Signals” workshop during Welcome Week.
These initiatives have been implemented by the school, along with “timely and topical programming” throughout the academic year in the residence halls and a Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) self-defense course offered several times a year by Public Safety, in an effort to combat sexual violence among students.
“We all have a role to play in preventing sexual violence and providing an environment that is secure, comfortable and respectful — all critical elements essential for learning.” Preston concluded.
University Spokeswoman Molly Watson said yesterday that Johnson came highly recommended to the school and that creating the position was itself a recommendation from the state comptroller.
“The rationale behind (Johnson’s hiring) is the complexity of amendments, the coordination thats required across the offices and departments on campus in order to ensure compliance with everything,” said Watson. “We need a point person who can help manage all of that information.”
