By Kalyn Story | Lariat Writer
Former Title IX coordinator Patty Crawford said Baylor “set me up from the beginning.” On “CBS This Morning” Wednesday morning, Crawford talked about her resignation for the first time.
Crawford claimed that she increased reports of sexual assault by over 700 percent during her time at Baylor, but that it became clear to her that that was not what Baylor wanted.
“I continued to work hard, and the harder I worked, the more resistance I received from senior leadership. That became clear that that was not something the university wanted, and in July, I made it clear and ready that I had concerns and that the university was violating Title IX, and my environment got worse,” Crawford said.
Crawford alleges Baylor did not allow her to fulfill her job as Title XI coordinator and retaliated against her. She said she filed a federal complaint to the Office of Civil Rights and human resources last week.
“Was I going to remain part of the problem or be part of the problem, or was I going to resign?” Crawford said.
“I never had the authority, the resources or the independence to do the job appropriately, which the Department of Education writes in its guidance for Title IX coordinators in universities,” Crawford said.
Baylor released a statement in response to Crawford’s comments.
“Baylor University was surprised by the action taken by Patty Crawford given her public comments in August about the strong support she felt from across the University. Her demands in advance of mediation for one million dollars and book and movie rights were troubling,” Baylor said in the statement.
In an August interview with the Waco Tribune-Herald, Crawford said the university had an “excellent board that listens and is very supportive,” and that she had a “good partnership” with the athletics department.
Crawford was asked about this interview on “CBS This Morning,” and she acknowledged good members of the board and good leaders at Baylor but also said there are “a group of seniors that made sure that they were protecting the brand … instead of our students.”
Crawford claimed she was disconnected from meetings and conversations and that Baylor was “making decisions only a Title IX coordinator should make based on protection for the brand.”
Crawford’s attorney, Rogge Dunn, joined her on “CBS This Morning” and defended her request for a million dollars and book and movie rights. He also accused Baylor of violating Texas law by disclosing information about the mediation.
“There was a mediation, and Texas law is quite clear that you cannot comment on what took place at the mediation,” Dunn said. “In a desperate attempt to smear Patty, what they’ve done is violated Texas law. Believe me, there’s nothing I would rather tell you than what went on in that mediation because it’s in favor of Patty, but the law says that you can’t do that ,and we choose to follow the law, unlike Baylor University.”
Baylor acknowledges their process of handling sexual assaults is not perfect but maintains that they are working to better their system and support survivors.
“It has taken the entire Baylor community, fully engaged in our ongoing efforts, to ensure the university has in place the processes, policies, personnel and training to prevent acts of sexual violence and respond appropriately with compassion to those who suffer from such acts,” Baylor’s statement said. “We recognize that our work on this front will never be complete, and we will continue to seek ways to improve our response and to actively support survivors.”
