Baylor interim president David Garland has released a public response to the Big 12’s request for information regarding the school’s ongoing sexual assault scandal and the Pepper Hamilton investigation into it.
In a statement to the Austin American-Statesman, Baylor has said the following:
“Interim President David Garland received the letter from Commissioner Bowlsby and has contacted the Commissioner to acknowledge receipt of his letter. Baylor is reviewing the Big 12’s request for additional information in light of Baylor’s obligations under federal privacy law and the commitment of confidentiality to the brave survivors who shared their experiences to help the University better understand its shortcomings. President Garland will seek an opportunity to sit down with Commissioner Bowlsby to personally discuss the investigation and the Big 12’s requests.
Dr. Garland would like to reiterate that the Findings of Fact fully reflect the themes, core findings and failings identified in the investigation – while omitting the documentation of individual cases and names supporting these findings. Baylor’s Board of Regents chose to publicly release severely critical Findings of Fact because it believes it is in the best interest of the Baylor community to do so, regardless of the impact on current or potential civil litigation or regulatory action. The University self-reported to its community and the NCAA and will maintain normal communication with the Big 12 Conference during the course of the NCAA investigation.
Baylor remains confident in the actions it has taken to ensure improvement in student safety and to help restore confidence that its priorities and values remain in the proper order. We hope to not only apply what we learn and to approach the highest levels of prevention, response and support for students impacted by these acts, but also to share what we learn with other higher education institutions for the benefit of students everywhere.”
It’s worth noting that the Big 12 first requested additional information from Baylor back on May 24 and only went public today.
One of the questions arisen from the Big 12’s statement earlier today is what, exactly, the Big 12 could do if Baylor refused to comply.
The answer? No one really knows at this point.
FWIW: B12 spokesperson tells me "The Big 12 BoD would consider appropriate next steps if Baylor did not comply with its request."
— Ben Kercheval (@BenKercheval) June 22, 2016
In the meantime, football recruits with options continue to do everything they can to get out of Waco.