A new office will be created to investigate all reports of discrimination on campus, MU [announced in a news release](http://missouri.edu/statements/statement-2015-12-01-civil-rights-title-ix.php) Tuesday afternoon.
The Office for Civil Rights and Title IX will centralize reports and investigation of discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, genetic information, disability or veteran status, according to the release.
Ellen Eardley, Title IX administrator and assistant vice provost, will lead the office. Before she began the position in April, Eardley was a partner at a civil rights law firm in Washington, D.C. She will report to Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Garnett Stokes.
“Ending discrimination is everyone’s responsibility,” Eardley said in an email to students Tuesday. “We need you to use your voices to take a stand.”
The announcement comes after a [semester of student protests and controversies](https://www.themaneater.com/special-sections/mu-fall-2015/) that culminated in the resignations of UM System President Tim Wolfe and Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin on Nov. 9. Stokes named Chuck Henson the interim vice chancellor for inclusion, diversity and equity on Nov 10.
The new office will soon create a centralized tool for reporting all forms of discrimination, according to the statement. The office will handle investigations previously conducted by Human Resources, the Equity Office and the Office of Student Conduct.
