Darci Heroy has been hired as interim associate vice president and Title IX coordinator, the University of Oregon announced on Tuesday.
Heroy has worked as a consultant for the UO on Title IX issues since April of last year and was previously an equal opportunity specialist in the UO’s Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity. With her new position, she will be responsible for coordinating with the university to prevent and respond to sexual assault in compliance with Title IX.
Passed in 1972, Title IX is the federal law requiring equal access and opportunities by gender.
The UO has been searching for a Title IX coordinator for nine months, but said it had unable to find a candidate who was the right fit for the campus, in part due to the high demand for candidates who are highly qualified with experience in Title IX. Robin Holmes, president of student life, said it was Heroy’s background in Title IX as well as her law degree from the University of Oregon School of Law that made her the ideal candidate for the job.
Her interim position will allow the university to move forward on prevention and response to sexual assault.
Heroy will begin on Feb. 1. The UO said it will make a decision on how to permanently fill the position by the end of the academic year.