New Title IX Guidance Signals Need for Comprehensive Efforts
Madison, WI (PRWEB) April 30, 2014 -- In guidance issued yesterday afternoon, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and the White House’s Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault made clear that improving campus culture and preventing sexual violence are as much a part of Title IX compliance as crafting effective adjudication procedures.
Although the details of Title IX compliance are now “staggeringly complex” with the addition of yesterday’s guidance, the federal government’s increased emphasis on prevention and education stands out clearly, says Peter Lake, director of Stetson University’s Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy.
The task force’s new report titled Not Alone, for example, urges institutions to conduct campus climate surveys, which could become mandatory in 2016, and train students, particularly men, about bystander intervention. The U.S. Department of Education’s newly released Questions and Answers on Title IX and Sexual Violence states that imposing sanctions against sexual violence perpetrators “likely will not be sufficient to satisfy [a school’s] Title IX obligation” if an institution does not also attend to how sexual violence affects the campus community as a whole.
The guidance signals that “climate and culture are integral to Title IX response,” Lake says.
The Four Corners of Title IX Response
Lake has developed a comprehensive four-corner model of Title IX response that includes:
• Title IX system organization and management issues
• Investigation and discipline processes
• Victim protection, support and empowerment
• Campus culture and climate
Without all four pieces in place, institutions will likely fail to comply with both the letter and spirit of Title IX, Lake says.
“Educational tools and integrating Title IX into our educational missions give us the greatest chance of actually reducing barriers created by sex discrimination in the higher education environment,” he says.
Lake will use the four corners model as he leads two Title IX Compliance Institutes—July 24-27 in Orlando and August 5-8 in Washington, D.C. Developed by Magna Publications for those professionals who perform critical Title IX compliance functions on their campuses, the Institute devotes four intensive days to examining and developing Title IX policy and practice. Registration is now open. Learn more at http://titleixcomplianceinstitute.com/.
About Magna Publications:
Founded in 1972, Magna Publications is dedicated to providing high-quality, research-based professional development resources to the higher education community. The company’s growing portfolio of newsletters, online seminars, online courses, and in-person events represent some of the most trusted names in higher education, including: The Teaching Professor, Online Classroom, Academic Leader, Distance Education Report, Recruitment and Retention in Higher Education and Faculty Focus. The company is based in Madison, Wis. Learn more at http://www.magnapubs.com/.
David Burns, Magna Publications, +1 (608) 227-8109, [email protected]
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