Two LSU Athletics employees were suspended without pay after the Husch Blackwell report into LSU’s alleged mishandling of Title IX and sexual assault was released Friday. 
A representative from Husch Blackwell, Scott Schneider, presented the investigation to the LSU Board of Supervisors in its Friday morning meeting at Lod Cook Alumni center. Schneider said the University was understaffed and unequipped to handle Title IX reports that they received. The law firm’s 150-page report outlined summaries of cases that the law firm investigated, outlines of current Title IX policies at LSU and recommendations for the University.
“This is an example of serious institutional failure,” Galligan said.
LSU Interim President Thomas Galligan announced two immediate disciplinary actions that the University will take in response to the report. The University suspended Executive Deputy Athletic Director Verge Ausberry for 30 days without pay and Senior Associate Athletic Director Miriam Segar for 21 days without pay. Both employees will also undergo sexual violence training during this time.
“We’ve been forced to take a hard look and let’s be perfectly clear, we don’t like what we see,” Galligan said.
A November USA Today report found that Ausberry knew that former LSU football player Drake Davis punched former LSU women’s tennis player Jade Lewis. Lewis’s case of sexual violence is outlined in the report. 
According to WBRZ reporter Michael Cauble, Ausberry told him his entire career “has been dedicated to LSU” and he regrets that his actions fell short of “protecting student interests.”
“I accept the conclusions and decisions rendered by the University and absolutely respect the commitment to putting the welfare of all students first,” Ausberry said. 
The report does not recommend that any one person be fired, but advised University leadership to read the report and then decide “what, if any discipline is warranted for employees.”
“If the leadership of the University decides to discipline employees, one of the important lessons from this review is that institutional policies and processes should be followed,” the report read. “In addition, those employees should be entitled to full due process protections, including the ability to say this review ‘got it wrong.’”
The report named 18 recommendations for the University to take following this report, including staffing the Title IX Office appropriately, implementing targeted training for athletes and regularly measuring climate and effectiveness at the University. 
“We think it is critically important for the University to regularly measure whether these interventions are succeeding as well as the overall effectiveness of the University’s comprehensive Title IX program,” the report read.
The report recommended “the rules must apply to everyone,” and said the University needs to ensure the Title IX policies and processes are followed and are applied to everyone.
Schneider said the most important recommendation the report makes to the University is appropriate staffing of the Title IX Office. He said the reporting line to general counsel needs to “change immediately.”
Schneider said “one in four” college-age female students experience some sort of sexual assault or sexual misconduct while they are undergraduate students. He said LSU is no “exception to that.” 
One survivor and LSU alumna, Caroline Schroeder, spoke at the meeting and said she has personal experience with the Title IX processes at LSU. 
“I want to express how little faith I have in the board to make the right decision,” Schroeder said.
Schneider said the Husch Blackwell report was “clear” with LSU and highlighted that the University did not have a Title IX coordinator until 2014. 
“From a historical perspective, LSU has been very slow to develop policies and infrastructure and personnel that was really required and highlighted starting in 2011 with the 2011 Dear Colleague letter,” Schneider said. 
Galligan said the University will hire new staff, including more Title IX investigators and a Deputy Title IX Coordinator. He said LSU and LSU Athletics is contracted with a non-profit called STAR (Sexual Trauma Awareness Response) to evaluate sexual assault training practices and implement new ones.  
“I’m embarrassed about what’s happened in the past,” LSU Athletics Director Scott Woodward said. “Getting it right is important. We want to review the past and accept the past, and get it right moving forward.” 
Galligan apologized to the survivors and thanked those who came forward and spoke with Husch Blackwell.
“If they hadn’t come forward, we wouldn’t be here today,” Galligan said. “I’m grateful to them and with all my heart I apologize to them.”
Madelyn Cutrone also contributed to this report.