Baylor is right to use openness in fighting scandal

Baylor University leaders are opening up about the sexual assault scandal that has rocked the school and its football program for more than a year.

It will take a lot to correct what Baylor has said was its “fundamental failure” to protect against sexual violence on campus. It must fix a football program that operated as if it were “above the rules” on assaults.

Still, being more transparent about the school’s problems and what it is doing to fix them will help.

Last week, officials disclosed that there have been 17 reports of sexual assault or domestic violence by 19 football players since 2011. Four were alleged gang rapes in 2012.

In May, Baylor dismissed football coach Art Briles, sanctioned athletic director Ian McCaw and demoted president Ken Starr. McCaw and Starr resigned.

But on Oct. 3, Title IX coordinator Patty Crawford resigned and filed a complaint against Baylor with the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights.

Crawford was supposed to keep the school in line with federal law against sexual harassment/sexual assaults at education institutions. She complained that Baylor officials were more concerned with protecting the school and set her up to fail in her job.

Baylor has hired a San Francisco-based crisis management firm to help get its message out, set up an extensive website to provide details about “our ongoing efforts to learn from our mistakes” and conducted news media interviews.

Openness will help.

This story was originally published November 2, 2016 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Baylor is right to use openness in fighting scandal."