Title IX
Title IX passed as part of the Educational Amendments of 1972. In part, it states, “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” Title IX is prohibition against sex-based discrimination in education, including sexual harassment, gender-based discrimination and sexual violence. Sexual violence includes attempted or completed sexual assault, as well as sexual harassment, stalking, voyeurism, exhibitionism, verbal or physical sexuality-based threats or abuse, and intimate partner violence.
Title IX protects any person from sex-based discrimination. Female, male, and gender non-conforming students, faculty and staff are protected from any sex-based discrimination, harassment or violence.
Schools must take immediate steps to address any sex discrimination, sexual harassment or sexual violence happening on campus to prevent it from affecting student further. If a school knows or reasonably should know about discrimination, harassment or violence that is creating a “hostile environment” for any student, it must act to eliminate it, remedy the harm caused and prevent its recurrence.
Schools must have an established procedure for handling complaints of sex discrimination, sexual harassment or sexual violence. Every school must have a Titile IX coordinator whose information should be publicly accessible on the school’s website. If a complaint is filed, the schools must promptly investigate it. A school may not wait for the conclusion of a criminal proceeding and should conclude its own investigation within a semester’s time (or 60 days). The final decision following the investigation should be provided to the person who filed the complaint as well as the accused in writing and both have the right to appeal the decision.
Schools must take immediate action to ensure a complainant-victim can continue his or her education free of ongoing sex discrimination, sexual harassment or sexual violence. Schools must ensure any reasonable changed to the victims housing, class or sports schedule, campus job, or extracurricular activity and clubs to ensure that they can continue their education free from any ongoing sex discrimination, sexual harassment or sexual violence. The arrangements can occur before filing a complaint, investigation, hearing or final decision has been made and can continue after the entire process. These accommodations cannot over-burden complainant-victims or limit their educational opportunities, schools can require the accused to change some school activities or classes to ensure there is not ongoing hostile educational environment.
Schools may not retaliate against someone filing a complaint and must keep the complainant-victim safe from other retaliatory harassment or behavior. Also, as part of the obligation that schools have to address complaints, they can issue a no contact directive or make other accommodations to ensure the accused or a third party does not retaliate for any complaint.
Schools can issue a no contact directive to prevent the accused from approaching or interacting with the complainant-victim in order to protect their safety. Campus security or police can and should enforce such directives. This is not a court-issued restraining order, but a school should provide you with information on how to obtain such an order and facilitate that process if you choose to pursue it.
In cases of sexual violence, schools are prohibited from encouraging or allowing mediation rather than a formal hearing of the complaint. They may offer such alternative processes for other types of complaints, such as sexual harassment. In these cases, it is the complainant-victim’s choice to participate in a mediation or seek a disciplinary hearing in the formal process. Schools are discouraged from allowing the accused to question the complainant-victim during a hearing.
Schools cannot discourage the complainant-victim from continuing their education. Title IX is a positive right to be free of a hostile environment in order to protect access to education. Complainant-victim’s have the right to remain on campus and have every educational program and opportunity available to them. Schools may not discourage the complainant-victim from continuing education, such as telling them to “take time off'” or forcing them to quit a team, club or class.
For the full law, click here. (Adapted from Know Your IX’s “Title IX: The Basics”)
Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (Campus SaVE)
The Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (Campus SaVE) addresses the violence students face on college campuses. It was created to compliment the Title IX Guidance by the U.S Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. The SaVE Act updates the Cleary Act to add further protections for victims on campus by adding more transparency, accountability, education and collaboration.
To improve transparency, SaVE requires that incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking be disclosed on an annual campus crime statistic reports. Additionally, students or employees reporting victimization will be provided their written rights to:
• Be assisted by campus authorities if reporting a crime to law enforcement
• Change academic, living, transportation, or working situations to avoid a hostile environment.
• Obtain or enforce a no contact directive or restraining order
• Have a clear description of their institution’s disciplinary process and know the range of possible sanctions
• Receive contact information about existing counseling, health, mental health, victim advocacy, legal assistance and other services available both on-campus and in the community
To improve accountability, SaVE clarified minimum standards for institutional disciplinary procedures covering domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking to ensure that:
• Proceedings shall provide a prompt, fair, and impartial investigation and resolution and are conducted by officials receiving annual training on domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.
• Both parties may have others present during an institutional disciplinary proceeding and any related meeting, including an advisor of their choice.
• Both parties will receive written outcomes of all disciplinary proceedings at the same time.
To improve education, SaVE instructs colleges and universities to provide programming for students and employees addressing the issues of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. Education programs shall include:
• Primary prevention and awareness programming for all incoming students and new employees
• Safe and positive options for bystander intervention
• Information on risk reduction to recognize warning signs of abusive behavior.
• Ongoing prevention and awareness programs for students and faculty.
SaVE established collaboration between the U.S Departments of Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services to collect and disseminate best practices for preventing and responding to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.
To read the full law, click here. (Adapted from the Cleary Center)