FSU students file Title IX complaints against World Affairs Program's Model UN on campus
Florida State University’s World Affairs Program is under investigation after ex-members of its Model United Nations (UN) team filed Title IX complaints, among other reported discriminatory allegations.
Two FSU students — a senior and a graduate student who wish to remain unnamed — initially made their allegations in August while another FSU senior reported a similar complaint in September.
“Throughout my time in the club, there were innumerable instances of discrimination against members and officers,” the graduate student wrote to the university in an August email.
The university said it is "unable to comment on any ongoing investigations" and was also unable to specify whether the issue has been classified as a Title IX investigation due to privacy policies, according to an FSU spokesperson.
Model UN — which gives students the opportunity to role-play as diplomats and other world leaders while working to develop solutions for international issues — falls under FSU’s World Affairs Program, a student-run academic program within the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy.
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The World Affairs Program is currently active on campus and meets on Tuesdays for Model UN training workshops and Thursdays for general body meetings.
In addition, FSU’s Model UN traveling team is ranked No. 8 this year among the top Model UN teams in North America for overall performance, according to Best Delegate, above universities such as Yale and Harvard.
But the graduate student along with the senior who also filed a complaint in August both stated in their complaints about a comment made by leadership that the club has a "history of sleeping your way to the top."
“The power dynamics in the club were always things that could be held over somebody’s head," the FSU senior who filed a complaint in September told the Tallahassee Democrat during a phone call.
Model UN students on the other side of the allegations believe that the students who filed the complaints are abusing the Title IX process to address personal grievances by using it as an opportunity to make anonymous "frivolous claims."
The complaints were filed through the Title IX Office as well as the Office of Investigations and Assessment at the university.
When it comes to the Title IX-related complaints, the initial student who allegedly committed the violations is no longer under FSU’s jurisdiction since the university’s Title IX Policy defines students as individuals who are currently admitted, enrolled, active or dual enrolled, according to an FSU spokesperson.
With additional allegations from the students including issues such as underaged drinking, the overall investigation is being conducted by FSU’s Office of Investigations and Assessment instead.
“Although portions of what you have reported are sexual in nature and may be covered by Title IX, some of the information would be more appropriately evaluated by the Office of Investigations and Assessment in the Department of Student Support and Transitions,” FSU Office of Title IX Coordinator and Director Tricia Buchholz told the graduate student via email.
Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU Model UN under investigation following Title IX complaints
