As deputy Title IX coordinator at the University of Florida (UF), Chris Loschiavo oversaw student complaints related to sexual assault, harassment, and misconduct. Meanwhile, he was busy buying BDSM, cyborg, and “erotic torture” porn using his UF email account and publicly interacting with a porn-account on Twitter. UF eventually fired him for this activity, and for potential conflicts of interest involving a high-profile student assault case. Still, the dean of students saw fit to recommend him for a Title IX position at another public university in the Sunshine State.
“Fantastic. Incredibly knowledgeable. Amazing work ethic. Strategic. Great collaboration. My very highest endorsement!!!” the recommendation stated. “Hope you get him. He will be a tremendous help to you as you continue to create Florida Poly.”
All of these adjectives could truly apply—this post certainly isn’t meant to imply that purchasing kinky porn or palling around with porn Twitter accounts means one can’t be a hardworking, fantastic human being. And while using an account tied to a work email address to buy porn shows a lapse in judgment, it’s one that would hardly be worth commenting on were it not for one thing: Loschiavo is part of a regime that threatens students for writing a porn star’s name on a quiz, drives professors out of their jobs for writing op-eds that students don’t like or syllabuses that they misinterpret, and offers a platform for folks to demand that schools shut down everything from the anonymous social-media app Yik Yak to performances of The Vagina Monologues to fraternities in general. Loschiavo is also the person students are to turn to for reporting sensitive matters regarding sex, violence, and discrimination. When that is your role, going the extra mile not to air your adult-entertainment habits on Twitter or to colleagues doesn’t seem like too big of an ask.
When Loschiavo’s firing became public, UF cited only a conflict of interest related to controversial Title IX case that Loschiavo was overseeing. (Loschiavo had done paid freelance work for a consulting firm on UF work time, and the attorney for a student in the case was associated with the same firm.) Last month, UF Communications Director Margot Winick told The Gainseville Sun that Loschiavo’s employment was terminated when the university “learned he used his UF work computer account to purchase pornography.” UF Dean of Students and Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Jen Day Shaw still recommended him for a Title IX coordinator position at Florida Polytechnic University, which he was hired for in April. But in May, after Florida Poly learned of his pornography purchases, it fired him for failing to disclose the information when he was hired.
The whole situation seems to have come to light thanks to the Sun, which “received public records that included Loschiavo’s emailed PayPal receipts for buying pornography on eBay.”
Day Shaw resigned from her positions last week after being informed her contract would not be renewed. This isn’t the first time the former dean of students has been accused of questionable judgment or conduct. From the Sun:
Amy Osteryoung of the law firm Johnson & Osteryoung, which has been involved with Day Shaw in several Title IX cases, said Tuesday’s announcement is a positive move. The firm last year filed a complaint with UF alleging Day Shaw mishandled the Callaway case. “The university will be a better place without Ms. Shaw. We consider this to be step one in what we hope will be more steps to come,” Osteryoung said. “We have no further comment although we will have in the future.”
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