The fallout from the sexual assault scandal at the largest Baptist university in the world has continued with the resignation of a key member of staff.
Ian McCaw, Baylor University vice-president and director of athletics, left on Monday after the university admitted a "fundamental failure" to protect female students from sexual violence.
He is the third member of staff to be affected by the scandal after football coach Art Briles was fired and former president Ken Starr was demoted.
The scandal focuses on the behaviour of members of the university's successful football team, which has been credited with raising its profile in recent years. Sam Ukwuachu was found guilty in 2015 of sexual assault against a fellow student; the university had previously investigated the claim but failed to act. A series of articles for ESPN detailed other allegations against Baylor football players which the university had apparently failed to deal with appropriately.
A damning report was issued by the university last Thursday after an investigation into how it treated accusations of sexual assault. The report by legal firm Pepper Hamilton found that Baylor "failed to consistently support complainants" and in some cases that it "failed to take action to identify and eliminate a potential hostile environment, prevent its recurrence or address its effects". It said that actions by University administrators "directly discouraged" some students from reporting incidents, and in one case "constituted retaliation against a complainant for reporting sexual assault".
The report was particularly critical of the university's football programme and athletics department leadership, saying it had failed to identify and respond to sexual violence. It said: "There are significant concerns about the tone and culture within Baylor's football program as it relates to accountability for all forms of student athlete misconduct."
Responding to the report, Richard Willis, chair of the Baylor Board of Regents, said: "We were horrified by the extent of these acts of sexual violence on our campus. This investigation revealed the University's mishandling of reports in what should have been a supportive, responsive and caring environment for students.
"The depth to which these acts occurred shocked and outraged us. Our students and their families deserve more, and we have committed our full attention to improving our processes, establishing accountability and ensuring appropriate actions are taken to support former, current and future students."
McCaw resigned from his position following a suspension, while Briles was "suspended indefinitely with intent to terminate". Starr, who won fame for his prosecution of President Bill Clinton in the Monica Lewinsky affair, has agreed "in principle" to remain in the figurehead position of chancellor. Other, unidentified members of the administration and athletics programme have been dismissed.
