Howard Kallem completed his first week of work Friday as Duke's first full-time director of Title IX compliance. Kallem comes to Duke with two decades of experience in the Office for Civil Rights in the United States Department of Education, as well as nearly a year as director of Title IX compliance at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Chronicle's Rachel Chason spoke with Kallem about the increased national focus on sexual assault on colleges campuses and Duke's policies surrounding the issue.
The Chronicle: What prompted your decision to come to Duke from UNC-Chapel Hill?
Howard Kallem: I greatly valued my time at UNC-Chapel Hill, and particularly the opportunity to participate in the revision of their policies and procedures and to develop and increase awareness of the resources to address sexual misconduct, including sexual violence. I come to Duke with an interest in working with the existing policies and procedures, to explore possibilities for refinements and to continue current efforts to provide a fair and balanced resolution process, promote training and education and increase awareness throughout the University community.
TC: What will you focus on in your new role, and what specific groups will you be working with?
HK: My initial focus will be on sexual harassment, including sexual violence. To that end, I hope to work with all groups on campus with an interest in the issue, including those representing undergraduate students, graduate and professional students, staff and faculty. I will be reaching out to these groups over the coming weeks and months—in the meantime, I invite anyone with an interest in the issue to get in touch with me.
But University policies cover more than just sexual harassment—they prohibit discrimination based on sex, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity—as well as interpersonal or relationship violence and stalking. My job will be to not only ensure compliance with University policies and state and federal laws dealing with these issues in all of the University’s programs and activities, but to build on the work of the Office of Institutional Equity to provide a safe and welcoming environment for all to work and learn.
TC: Duke has had some issues with gender dynamics in the national spotlight—how will you take this into account in your work?
HK: Of course, we have to learn from the past. Duke is not the only school that has received national attention. We must learn from the experiences both here and elsewhere—build on what works and move past what may not. I hope that my work with other schools both at the Office for Civil Rights and at UNC-Chapel Hill will be helpful in this regard.
TC: I know it is early in your tenure, but is there anything you know you want to improve in Duke's current policies?
HK: It is early—this is only my first week! However, one area where every college and university can improve is communication—to develop a variety of ways to explain policies and procedures and to increase awareness of the resources and supports available to all and of the importance of the issue generally.
TC: Why is this an issue that has attracted so much attention in recent months?
HK: Sexual violence is a national issue—at colleges and universities, in school districts, in the military and in the community. It has been receiving increasing attention, not just over the past several months, but for the past several years. This is due to a variety of factors, such as guidance and requirements from the federal government; publicized incidents involving students, the military and professional athletes; and advocacy by student and other groups. We need to keep attention focused on the issue and use that attention to improve prevention and response efforts nationwide, in all areas of society.
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