Title IX coordinator leaves UC after 10 months

The University of Cincinnati, once again, is without a permanent Title IX coordinator.

Andrea Goldblum, the former Title IX coordinator and executive director of the Office of Gender Equity and Inclusion, left the university March 15 after holding the position for just 10 months. Goldblum wrote in a LinkedIn post that she plans to leave the Title IX and civil rights sectors to pursue work in student affairs.

“I want to get back to the work I have loved the most, and in which I felt the most fulfilled and had the greatest impact,” Goldblum wrote. “I very much miss the scope and variety of the work, the collaborative relationships across campus, the interactions with students and being part of a Student Affairs unit.”

Following Goldblum’s departure, Matthew Olovson was selected to lead the Office of Gender Equity and Inclusion “on an interim basis,” said Bleuzette Marshall, UC’s vice president for equity, inclusion and community impact, in an email to university administrators. Olovson previously served as deputy Title IX coordinator and executive director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access.

Goldblum assumed the role of Title IX coordinator in June 2018 after the university spent more than two years searching for someone to fill the position.

This vacancy was of particular concern to the university, which came under investigation by the U.S. Department Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights in December 2016 for having a sexually hostile environment.

Jyl Shaffer, a former Title IX coordinator, left her position in spring 2016. Karla Phillips served as interim coordinator until Goldblum took over the role in June 2018.

The position’s responsibilities include investigating complaints of sexual harassment and violence and providing help for victims.

Goldblum told The News Record in August that she was committed to raising awareness of issues within the university’s Title IX office. Her focus was to cultivate an environment where people felt safe to report violations of Title IX rules.

“We share everything from what the policies are and how to report, to how to work with people who have been traumatized and how to support respondents or those who have been accused of something,” Goldblum said.

In an email, Marshall said that a search for a new executive director will be launched as soon as possible.

“Please know that we take our obligations under Title IX very seriously and we will maintain the continuity of services,” Marshall said. “As always, our goal as an educational institution is to foster the best learning and working environment for members of our university community so they can learn, work, grow, and thrive in a safe, equitable, and supportive environment.”

Goldblum could not be reached for comment at the time of writing.

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