Prominent evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr has been appointed to lead an education reform task force under US President Donald Trump. Falwell is keen to cut university regulations, including those that deal with campus sexual assault.
Falwell, a prominent supporter of Trump's, is president of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, which describes itself as the world's largest Christian University. Len Stevens, a spokesperson for the school, said on Wednesday that in his new position Falwell was prioritising deregulation, removing various rules and practices that the US Department of Education has previously imposed on colleges and universities.
"It's an autonomy issue for universities to be able to not be micromanaged by the Department of Education," Stevens said in an email to Reuters. Stevens added that many college presidents, regardless of their political affiliations, sympathised with this concern.
Falwell also wants to cut federal rules regarding the investigation and reporting of sexual assault on campus. These rules fall under Title IX, the federal law that bars sexual discrimination in education.
Stevens said that Liberty University believes that on-campus sexual assault investigations are better left to police and prosecutors.
Falwell, the son of the late televangelist Jerry Falwell Sr., was a vocal supporter of Trump's during the election campaign, endorsing him in the Republican primaries and comparing him to King David. Falwell even compared Trump to his father, the founder of the Moral Majority, saying Trump shared Falwell Sr's disposition to "speak his mind".
He introduced Trump before a significant speech given at Liberty University last year, where Trump called Falwell "one of the most respected religious leaders in our nation".
Falwell has said that he previously turned down an offer for the position as Trump's education secretary. That nomination has now gone to Betsy DeVos, who awaits Senate confirmation next Tuesday. It is not yet clear when Falwell's task force would begin its work.
Additional reporting by Reuters.
