The third and final candidate to lead Kansas University’s Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access emphasized conversation and collaboration to combat sexual violence and discrimination on campus.

“Collaboration is extremely critical,” said Robin Kelley, who spoke Tuesday at the Kansas Union. “It’s going to take a village. It’s going to take all of us.”

Kelley said she sees the role of the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, or IOA, as ensuring everyone has a sense of belonging at KU and removing barriers that impede access to university life.

The office must consistently and thoroughly investigate complaints she said — ideally with two investigators per case who are both “trauma informed” and “culturally competent” to ensure they can interact with victims and more objectively find the facts.

“It’s imperative to do thorough investigations, do your due diligence, turn over every leaf,” Kelley said.

Robin Kelley

Kelley said the office’s role should not stop with investigations.

An “ongoing and multidisciplinary approach” to education of incoming students and employees on sexual violence and discrimination is crucial, as are support and advocacy services for victims, she said. While IOA doesn’t have to control all that, the office must be “active and very engaged,” she said.

Consistently repeating and reinforcing these messages is the only way to create cultural change, she said.

When asked how the office could improve relationships with groups that feel isolated, including LGBT students and students of color, Kelley said she’d like to meet with them to understand why they feel the way they do, then talk about ideas for improvement.

She added that even in cases the IOA can’t adjudicate — such as hurtful social media speech that can’t be traced to a student — the office still could use them as “an opportunity for messaging.”

Kelley was Title IX coordinator and director of Iowa State University’s Office of Equal Opportunity, which handles sexual violence and discrimination complaints and investigations for that school. She held the position from 2013 until October, according to her LinkedIn resume.

Previously she worked at State University of New York at Buffalo for five years as assistant director of the Office of Equity, Diversity and Affirmative Action Administration (and also deputy Title IX coordinator) and for 10 years in the Employee Relations section of Human Resources, according to a resume shared on the KU website.

Kelley received a master’s degree in higher education administration and a bachelor’s degree in economics and finance from SUNY at Buffalo.

KU’s first two IOA director candidates, both attorneys, gave public presentations last week. Abigail Byman is director of academic labor relations at California State University. Ebony Calloway-Spencer is a supervisor for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in Atlanta.

KU’s new IOA director will replace the office’s first director, Jane McQueeny, who resigned in October. The salary for her position was $118,000, according to KU’s operating budget for fiscal year 2016.