Kenneth Starr has resigned as chancellor of Baylor University in the wake of the high-profile scandal over the school’s handling of sexual assault allegations. Starr told ESPN’s Outside the Lines that he was stepping down immediately “as a matter of conscience”.
Starr, who led investigations into the Whitewater and Monica Lewinsky controversies during Bill Clinton’s time as president, will continue teaching at the university’s law school. He was removed as the university’s president by its board of regents last Thursday.
The 69-year-old’s resignation comes nearly a week after the dismissal of the university’s football head coach, Art Briles. An independent report found that Baylor officials had been guilty of “fundamental failures” in the handling of sexual assault and violence allegations by students, including members of the football team.
On Wednesday, Starr called for greater transparency at Baylor. He said: “As each day goes by that need becomes more and more pressing. We need to put this horrible experience behind us. We need to be honest.”
Starr said he was ultimately responsible for the university’s lacklustre response to the crisis. “Under the NCAA bylaws the president or CEO is responsible for the athletic program. I accept that responsibility. I didn’t know about what was happening, but I have to, and I willingly do, accept responsibility,” he said.
Starr said that Baylor’s response “clearly fell short” and vowed to do better in future. “We owe it to every student that he or she, mostly she, is absolutely protected and that we’ve done all that we can,” he said.
“The captain goes down with the ship,” he said.
