Katherine Lasher steps down from head of Office of Institutional Equity

Sarah Szilagy, Maeve Walsh
Tue, 20 Oct 2020 22:10:46 +0000
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Katherine Lasher, associate vice president for the Office of Institutional Equity, stepped down from her role. She started in the position Aug. 1, 2019. | Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State News

Katherine Lasher has stepped down from her role as associate vice president of Ohio State’s Office of Institutional Equity.

According to an email from Executive Vice President and Provost Bruce McPheron sent to university administrators Tuesday, an interim associate vice president will fill Lasher’s vacancy within “the next few days” while the university begins a national search for a permanent replacement. Lasher served as the associate vice president of OIE for 14 months.

OIE is the university’s centralized office that helps prevent and respond to harassment, discrimination and sexual misconduct, according to the email.

“During this transition period, the office will continue to serve its vital mission of creating an environment at Ohio State that is equitable, fair and just,” McPheron said in the email.

A university spokesperson said the university had no additional comment at the time of publication. The reason for Lasher’s departure is unclear.

OIE was established in 2018 to replace the Sexual Civility and Empowerment Office. SCE closed in June 2018 after an external review determined the unit did not comply with requirements to document and report sexual assault complaints, according to a university press release. An audit later found that SCE failed to report 57 felonies.

Housed under OIE are several university offices, including Americans with Disabilities Act, Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity, Protection of Minors and Title IX, according to the email.

Lasher assumed the role Aug. 1, 2019, and prior to coming to Ohio State, she served as the senior leader and Title IX coordinator and affirmative action officer for the Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity at Central Michigan University. Her Ohio State salary as of June was $265,000.