10/03/2019

Dear Illinois Community,
The continued epidemic and concealment of sexual violence created by faculty and staff at the University
of Illinois is deeply disturbing and highly alarming. As a student government, we acknowledge that consent
to sexual activity cannot be legitimate when a power dynamic is present. The stories that were uncovered
by the recent NPR and ProPublica investigation detail the abusive power and disrespect that was perpetrated
by various faculty of the University of Illinois. The actions of these individuals have fostered an unsafe
campus environment and have violated the values of the Illinois community. Therefore, we refuse to
acknowledge their names in this statement.
On behalf of the student body, the Illinois Student Government believes in and stands firmly in solidarity
with all survivors, including those involved in the cases that were published in the NPR and ProPublica
article. We believe the University -- including administrators and Deans of various colleges on campus -has not provided a sufficient amount of transparency to the campus community after these events and even
after the publication of the NPR and ProPublica articles. This issue needs to be addressed promptly. We
demand at the very least an explanatory statement to the student body.
We appreciate the University ending the use of confidentiality agreements and the introduction of other
measures to combat this epidemic. We maintain that more actions need to be taken by the University in
order to prevent future incidents of sexual and gender-based violence occurring repeatedly. It is the
University’s duty to ensure the safety of all students on campus. The University of Illinois Student
Government’s Sexual Assault Prevention Department was established and has been tasked with examining
sexual misconduct and tenure policies as well as consulting with pre-existing campus and community
entities that specialize in sexual assault prevention on college campuses.
We understand that a public report to review sexual misconduct policies of the University led by the Office
of the Provost is being curated. This report must be thoroughly evaluated and reviewed with direct student
input. The ISG is eager to be involved in the review of this report. Furthermore, the University must
implement strict change to support survivors and members of the Illinois community. As always, we expect
that the University keep students involved in every step of the process and be as forthcoming as possible.
We as authors of this statement are ready to work together with the administration to create a positive
change on campus.

Signed,
Connor Josellis ― Student Body President
Jack Langen ― Student Body Vice President

 Sudarshana Rao ― Director of Sexual Assault Prevention Department
Alec Navickis ― Assistant Director of Sexual Assault Prevention Department
Deniz Namik ― Chair of Committee on Diversity and Inclusion
Susan Zhou ― Speaker Pro Tempore
Alissa Xiao ― Speaker of the Senate
Marissa Finley ― Director of the Senate
Ali Mirza ― Chief of Staff