Office of the President Oregon State University, 500 Kerr Administration Building, Corvallis, Oregon 97331-2128 Phone 541-737-4133 Fax 541.737-3033 Oregon State UNIVERSITY December 10, 2014 Dear Brenda, Oregon State of?cials are very grateful that you took time to meet with us. We are so sorry for what you experienced in 1998 and have lived with since. What we have learned recently of your suffering is heart- breaking, and your bravery inspires us. We are also grateful to you for raising the public dialogue about the consequences of sexual violence in our society and for raising a discussion of how society can better assist survivors of such violence. While we cannot undo this nightmare, we apologize to you for any failure on Oregon State University?s part to better assist you in 1998. As promised a few weeks ago, we conducted an exhaustive review of the facts of how OSU handled this matter 16 years ago. This review was completed this past Friday, and we want to share the results of that review with you. One thing we learned is that in the late 1990?s, the prevailing View nationally was that the law did not allow universities to pursue student conduct actions in the cases of off-campus events that involved a survivor who was not a student of that university. The way Oregon State and other universities address sexual violence today is far different than it was in 1998. As part of President Obama?s national ?It?s On Us? campaign, Oregon State and I are deeply committed to substantially reduce sexual violence on our campus and in our community. Our review of this case was challenging. Records dating back 16 years and without the computer and data systems then as we have now are dif?cult to pursue. From our understanding of your phone call to us on August 1, initially we were mistakenly looking for records of a case involving a student named Brenda Tracy. Also, our of?cial records of student conduct matters dating back so many years are limited to records of cases that resulted in student expulsions or suspensions. We only have complete records for those conduct cases. But our review turned up limited notes from 1998 of a case involving a non-student named Brenda Adams. These limited notes do indicate that sanctions were imposed in this case. These student conduct records are still protected by student privacy laws. This is the case even though the two men involved in this case are no longer OSU students. We are allowed by law to share them with you as the survivor of this violence. We cannot share them with anyone else. You, however, are not bound by Such privacy or con?dentiality limitations. The sanctions issued by the university in 1998 Were different from what we Would impose today. In our opinion, by today?s standards, these sanctions are grossly inadequate. In our review, we learned that, in 1998, Of?ce of Student Conduct imposed the following sanctions on Mr. Dandridge and Mr. Carlyle: 25 hours of community service, 0 Participation in educational programs, and 0 Conduct probation. In addition, separate from these Student Conduct sanctions, both men were suspended for one game by then OSU Coach Mike Riley. In our review, we interviewed Mike Riley and individuals employed in 1998 within OSU Athletics and the OSU Division of Student Affairs. In all cases, Coach Riley and the other individuals recall this case but do not recall speci?c details. They do generally recall that charges in this matter were brought by local law enforcement authorities and later dropped. We also reviewed authority to pursue any sanctions now against your assailants. We learned that the law does not allow us to go back in time to impose sanctions for an offense that happened in 1998. . And, secondly, actions were already taken in this case, and sanctions were issued. If this case happened today and was reported to OSU, we would pursue more signi?cant student conduct actions even if this violence happened off?campus and involved a survivor who was not a student. Most importantly, we would work with the survivor to address the effects of the violence. With respect to con?dentiality, we would strive to respect the survivor?s wishes. But we would also work with the survivor to attempt to fully pursue conduct sanctions, including suspension or expulsion of those OSU students who committed such an offense. And we would work to stop the sexual misconduct, prevent a recurrence, and assist the survivor. We would work very hard at all of this because, in addition to addressing impacts to the survivor, we would see such behavior as a threat to the community. We remain open to having you speak with the OSU football team. We are also open to have you talk on campus with other students as part of ?It?s On Us? campaign to help end sexual violence. But we are sensitive to your healing and don?t want to suggest something that might interfere with that. It is Oregon State?s hope that any role you are willing to pursue in helping educate our campus community about sexual assault could bring some healing for you. This would be of great interest to us but only if it is consistent with your wishes. Sincer ly, at Ed Angelo ez Presi ent Executive Director, Of?ce of Equity and Inclusion