Jill Zellmer in November became the new director of the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO), filling a position that was left vacant for seven months prior.
The previous director, Jacqueline Hymes, left Tufts in March of 2011, forcing the university to begin the extensive process of finding a new director, according to Michael Baenen, University President Anthony Monaco's chief of staff.
"In order to conduct a thorough search at a director level, it is not unusual for the process to take six or more months," Baenen told the Daily in an email.
Zellmer was ultimately chosen for the position based on her extensive prior experience in the field, according to Baenen.
"She was chosen due to her significant expertise in the anti-discrimination and sexual harassment field, including deep familiarity with federal, state and local laws and regulations; extensive experience in designing, developing and implementing training programs; direct case management experience and excellent communications skills," Baenen said.
Zellmer previously worked at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. She then worked on international investigations of discrimination, harassment, fraud and embezzlement at the corporate level, accruing 15 years of experience in the field before applying for her position at Tufts.
"I've been in several different kinds of settings doing the same work, and I love what I do," she said.
The most pressing issue Zellmer has found at Tufts is devising a plan to implement Title IX regulations, she said.
Title IX is a federal gender-equality law prohibiting sex discrimination in educational programs and institutions.
The Office for Civil Rights last April published a "Dear Colleague" letter that highlighted the need to expand the range of cases that Title IX covers to bring more attention to sexual misconduct and gender issues, according to Zellmer.
The letter gives guidelines for how universities may best meet these requests, including the importance of having a pair of people in charge of Title IX cases — one investigator and one coordinator.
Zellmer now functions as the Title IX coordinator, while Sonia Jurado, who prior to Zellmer's arrival at Tufts held the position of interim Title IX coordinator, is the current Title IX investigator.
"If there are issues on campus that are involving sexual misconduct or unfair treatment around gender and discrimination, not just in athletics, but in any part of the campus, that is something that OEO would look into," Zellmer said.
The OEO issued a revised university sexual assault policy last summer, which now reflects the new interpretation of Title IX to include sexual harassment as part of sexual discrimination.
The OEO began implementing a Title IX liaison program to train and identify the individuals to whom violations of Title IX may be reported, according to Jurado.
"OEO has also been designated as the neutral investigatory body for the university, responsible for making inquiries into allegations it receives regarding conduct that may violate Title IX," Jurado told the Daily in an email.
A meeting was held last Thursday with representatives from the Boston, Grafton and Medford/Somerville campuses to discuss how the sexual assault policy and process can be implemented university-wide, Zellmer said.
Zellmer recognizes that all three campuses have different student bodies and different needs from the OEO.
"I want to make sure I am visible on all three campuses," she said.
She also wants to prevent employment discrimination and harassment at Tufts through education about equality and proper conduct.
"One of my goals is to have faculty and staff, all employees, trained," she said.
Zellmer added that another one of her priorities is addressing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which deals with reasonable accommodation and addresses how students and employees with disabilities may need particular accommodations in order to attend classes or shifts.
Members of the Tufts community needing accommodations should come to the OEO for help, Zellmer explained.
"I want everybody to know, if they feel they are being mistreated or that they're being treated unfairly, that I take it very seriously," she said. "We are here in OEO to make sure people have a place to go when they're feeling like that, whether they are students or faculty or staff."
Jurado added that Zellmer has come into her role at Tufts with energy and enthusiasm for her work.
"She has been a welcome addition to OEO," Jurado said. "OEO looks towards the future under the leadership of Ms. Zellmer with confidence and excitement."
"I want to make sure that people get treated fairly," Zellmer added. "My goal personally and professionally is hopefully to make that happen for Tufts."
