If you've been following our Instagram (@netflixandconsent), you saw this week's post focused on Title IX. I know in the grand scheme of things, school regulations seem to be less than significant, but if you really break it down, we are talking civil rights here. Title IX is a civil right that prohibits sex discrimination in education; this covers every single student from Kindergarten all the way through your Doctorate Programs. You starting to get the idea of how huge this is? Great! Too bad the Department of Education and our Secretary of Education, Betsy Devos, said "Let's take away those civil rights that took years and years to gain, just for kicks." #suckstosuck I guess?
You know with COVID-19 and the Modern-Day Civil Rights Movement, why not throw in having to worry about losing the tiny bit of protection you had at your school? Title IX is by no means the magical unicorn that put an end to all sexual misconduct on campuses, but there was progress being made. This gave students a little bit of hope that when they go to file a complaint on campus, they will be met with answers. With the projected upcoming changes, it will make it nearly impossible to report to your college. Instead of looking for ways to better protect students, rights are being revoked and several colleges are welcoming the change with the new guidelines taking most of the responsibility off their shoulders.
Needless to say, students and advocates across the nation are enraged. Most students already felt their schools weren't doing enough to protect them. Our very own State Advocate Trainer, Kiah Hall, has spent years fighting her way onto college campuses to talk with faculty and students about sexual violence and to work with the Title IX Coordinators to make sure everything is being done to protect students. With these new regulations, schools could be getting rid of their Title IX Coordinators and lessening outside training revolving around sexual violence on campus. Without the available resources, where does that leave our students? I think this projected change is a huge, neon sign telling students exactly how much schools value their safety.
Please enjoy this highlight reel:
Schools must dismiss any complaints of sexual misconduct that occur outside of campus-controlled buildings and/or educational activities.
Colleges must allow live cross-examination by the ‘representative’ of each party’s choosing.
The new rule allows schools to drag students through lengthy and burdensome investigations without reason.
The definition of sexual harassment is narrowed to include only instances that are severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive.
Unregulated mediation is allowed in cases of sexual assault, rape, dating violence, and domestic violence.
Religiously-affiliated institutions can claim a Title IX exemption even after they are charged with discrimination.
This policy greatly reduces a school’s obligation to act against sexual harassment .
You can only file a complaint against someone who attends your university.
For a complete list of the projected changes to go to https://www.knowyourix.org/college-resources/hands-off-ix/