University School Class of 2005 Alumni Garrison Burton recently returned to our ETSU campus as the Title VI and Title IX Coordinator for the ETSU Office of University Compliance. We love seeing our UH Alumni as part of the ETSU/University School family!
The following article was released in the ETSU Faculty & Staff Newsletter, Accent:
Garrison Burton has returned to the ETSU campus to serve as the institution’s Title VI and Title IX coordinator. He is the newest member of the Office of University Compliance, which is part of the Office of University Counsel. Burton holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from Brigham Young University and a J.D. degree from Arizona State University.
You are in a new job, but Johnson City is not new territory, right?
That’s right. I have been living out west in Utah and Arizona for the last 10 years, but I was raised in Johnson City. My father still works at the VA hospital, my mother was a math professor at ETSU, and I was a student at both University School and ETSU, so I suppose my roots run pretty deep in East Tennessee. I really enjoyed living out west, as did my wife and kids, but we are excited to be moving closer to our extended families, and I am thrilled to be back on campus. I think ETSU is a really special place.
Tell us about your role as Title VI and Title IX coordinator.
Title VI and Title IX prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender, race, color or national origin at any public institution. My role as the coordinator will be to help foster an environment on campus that minimizes the occurrence of any such discrimination and ensures that if it does occur that the university responds in an appropriate and timely manner.
I have always loved ETSU, and I have been very grateful for the learning and growing environment it provided me as a student. My responsibility as Title VI and Title IX coordinator is ensuring that all of the members our or ETSU family, regardless of gender, race, color or national origin, can have that same positive learning and growing environment.
What are some of your primary goals for the next six months?
Our compliance office here at ETSU always has a certain number of complaints that we are investigating. In an effort to ensure that ETSU continues to be a place of equity and inclusion, we conduct interviews, do research, and write reports about our findings. So we will continue to do all of those things over the next six months. But in addition to those basic responsibilities, we will be focused on Title VI and Title IX awareness and education across all of ETSU’s campuses. I not only want all ETSU students, faculty, staff, and our volunteers to know how to identify and report Title VI and Title IX issues, but to also understand the countless benefits that greater equity and inclusion afford to our university community.
We have heard the “Dear Colleague” letter in 2011 described as having a transformative effect on higher education. In what ways is that true?
Well, I think recognizing and combating sexual misconduct on campus has always been a high priority at ETSU. What the “Dear Colleague” letter did, more than anything, was emphasize that importance across all federally funded educational institutions by implementing some specific procedures. The basis of the letter is that “The sexual harassment of students, including sexual violence, interferes with students’ right to receive an education free from discrimination and, in the case of sexual violence, is a crime.”
It also mandates several provisions regarding the investigation of sexual harassment claims, such as requiring disciplinary review board hearings and the use of a preponderance of evidence standard in deciding whether an assault occurred. On the whole, I think the letter was an important step in increasing school officials’ focus on sexual violence issues, and I think it has resulted in improved reporting and safety on university campuses across the country.
Tell us about your life outside of work. What are some of your hobbies?
My life outside of work revolves around my family. My wonderful wife and I have two boys. They are a big reason we were interested in moving to the area, because now they will be able to see grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins more often. And when we are not spending time with extended family, we will be exploring the outdoors; taking trips to museums, zoos, and aquariums; and searching for the best places to get a cheeseburger. My boys and I are also big Nintendo fans, and we love playing video games together. But most of all, my wife and I are always up for running around with our kids and making family memories.