Title IX

Photo of a person studying in an empty lecture hall. By Philippe Bout.

Many students come to campus having never heard about Title IX before. Sometimes, they might not know that their campus has a Title IX Office until they need to use it. We think it’s important that every student knows about Title IX and how it functions on their college campus.

The information below provides the basics, but most campuses will have their own section for Title IX and reporting policies on their websites. Be sure to familiarize yourself with that campus-specific information!

What is Title IX?

Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational institutions that receive federal funding. Its broad scope covers sexual harassment and violence. Title IX requires schools to respond and remedy dangerous or hostile educational environments and failure to comply results in violations that could risk the school losing its federal funding. 

For more information on Title IX from outside resources, please follow the buttons below!

What is the Clery Act?

The Clery Act, named after Jean Clery who was raped and murdered in her dorm room, is a federal law that requires universities to report crimes that occur on campus and safety policies. The information is shared via your school’s website under the “Annual Security Report.” The Clery Act also requires universities to share timely warnings with the college community to advise of potential safety threats. To learn more about the Clery Act’s requirements, rights, and resources, visit the links below!

Campus Resources: Mandatory Reporting

Because of Title IX and other federal guidances, university employees have differing rules for how to respond to information of an assault or other Title IX violation. Most universities label their employees as either confidential resources or non-confidential resources. 

Confidential resources can maintain legally-protected confidentiality within the university for the individual who shared the information and are not required to file a report with the Title IX Office. In contrast, non-confidential resources are mandatory reporters who cannot maintain legally-protected confidentiality within the university; in other words, they must report to the university if they learn of a Title IX violation, even if the student requests that they don’t.  No matter what, though, any university employee should still make every effort to respect and safeguard the privacy of the individuals involved. 

Confidential
Resources

  • Victim’s Advocates Office
  • Counseling & Psychological Services
  • Health Centers

Non-Confidential Resources

  • Faculty
  • Resident Assistants
  • University Police
  • Deans of Students
  • Campus Administrators

Not every university follows the same policies, even though they’re all working with the same guidances. For example, the University of Oregon operates under a model called “Responsible Reporting,” introducing a third category to the confidential/non-confidential binary: student-directed reporters. 

For more information on required reporting versus responsible reporting, please follow the links below.

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