The University will name a sexual harassment and discrimination coordinator as early as this April, a top administrator said this week.
GW has looked to hire an official to oversee sexual assault cases since Tara Pereira, who worked at the University for 14 years, stepped down in December.
Administrators have narrowed the applicant pool to about 10 candidates, including one from within the University, said Terri Harris Reed, the vice provost for diversity and inclusion.
Four or five candidates will be interviewed over the next few weeks, meeting with Reed’s office, the Division of Student Affairs, the University Police Department, the Office of General Counsel and the Equal Employment Opportunity office. They will also meet with the on-campus group Students Against Sexual Assault.
Reed said she hopes to hire an administrator to fill the roles of sexual harassment response coordinator, deputy Title IX coordinator and director of campus inclusion initiatives by late March or early April.
Reed said the new hire would help reshape a key role at GW that has been “evolving” for years.
That person may decide to train Equal Employment Opportunity employees to investigate staff complaints, which Pereira previously handled.
She said GW could also appoint more first responders to handle reports of sexual assault, which Pereira had overseen on her own with UPD.
“There are people who are on campus, who volunteer with hotlines in their communities, who would love to serve GW in that way,” Reed said. “The person coming in will sort of have to envision what this might look like.”