Statement to Media in Response to an Op-ed by Rep. Roland Gutierrez

May 19, 2017

WACO, Texas (May 19, 2017) – Ronald D. Murff, chair of the Baylor University Board of Regents, issued the following the statement today regarding an op-ed by Rep. Roland Gutierrez:

“Baylor University wants Rep. Gutierrez to know the real Baylor community and campus. Rep. Gutierrez and the Regents or administration have never met or visited. So, we ask that Rep. Gutierrez, after the legislative session, please come to Waco and visit our campus with both of his daughters. He will find that the Baylor campus is extremely safe and welcoming, not as depicted in his recent op-ed. We worry that the op-ed may be influenced by second-hand information provided by people with agendas.

“We will open our doors for Rep. Gutierrez to personally visit with our Board leadership and administration, as well as our Title IX coordinator, police officers, counseling staff, and most importantly, our students so he can personally learn of our institution-wide commitment to the prevention of sexual violence and our unprecedented response to this pressing issue.

“Baylor fully disclosed its past institutional failures in May 2016 and responded aggressively with changes in administration and the structural completion of 105 recommendations with the goal of keeping our students and campus community safe and secure. The situation Rep. Gutierrez described is certainly not reflective of Baylor University today. We hope he will accept our invitation.”