Chancellor David Ward asked campus officials to examine UW-Madison’s sexual assault reporting process and alcohol policies Wednesday, addressing gaps identified in a recent report that revealed sexual assault allegations against former associate athletic director John Chadima.
In the wake of allegations against Chadima, UW officials are investigating the “lack of clarification” for off-campus alcohol policies and procedures, Vice Chancellor for University Relations Vince Sweeney said Wednesday.
The policy examination push comes at the recommendation of investigators who reported on the allegations and called on the university to consider developing rules or guidelines regarding alcohol service to students.
“University staff with whom we talked were unaware of any university regulations that would provide guidelines for such events at off-campus facilities,” investigators noted.
The report, released Tuesday by an independent investigative team, said a long night of drinking at an annual party in Chadima’s hotel suite preceded the alleged incident of sexual assault.
The athletic department used donor funds to purchase the drinks that Chadima, a UW official, then offered freely to student employees, many under 21.
“Chadima’s parties, in effect, were university events,” the report stated.
Using donor funds, rather than taxpayer dollars, is common practice when buying alcohol for university events, according to Sweeney.
But due to what Sweeney termed the “lack of clarification of policies and procedures for alcohol off-campus,” it is unclear whether the parties violated university policy in other ways.
Regardless of official policy, Sweeney said, the university “ought not be hosting a party that involves or encourages underage drinking.”
Vice Chancellor for Administration Darrell Bazzell will lead the alcohol policy examination, Sweeney said, emphasizing that Bazzell will be looking at policy campus-wide, not only within the athletic department.
The university is not “pointing the finger at athletics and saying, ‘You have to review your policies,’” Sweeney explained. “These are campus policies.”
Currently, there is no deadline to complete the alcohol review process.
Sweeney said the timeline depends on what officials “unearth” in the course of their examination.
