JESSICA SERRANO
Special to The Leader
Big changes are coming to Title IX.
Betsy DeVos, the U.S. Secretary of Education, is making her propositions heard.
In a speech at George Mason University, she said, “The truth is that the system established by the prior administration has failed too many students. Survivors, victims of a lack of due process and campus administrators have all told me that the current approach does a disservice to everyone involved.”
If the old rules are not working, could the new rules make it even worse?
On Fredonia’s Title IX and Sexual Prevention webpage, you’ll find the definition of what the Title IX policy is, “Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs, including athletic programs or activities that receive federal funding . . . Under Title IX, discrimination on the basis of sex can include sexual harassment, rape and sexual assault.”
According to the New York Times, “Colleges would be responsible for handling allegations of sexual misconduct that occurred on their campuses and in institutional programs, but not in settings like off-campus student apartments.”
Students should feel safe, even when they are off campus. They still attend the school, so they should be protected by the school if something happens off campus. If not, then students will be frightened to step off campus.
According to the proposed rule of the Title IX amendment from the Department of Education, “Colleges would be held accountable only for responding to formal misconduct complaints filed through official institutional channels, or allegations of which officials have actual knowledge.”
With this new policy, students will be forced to tell University Police or an administrator, someone they may not feel that they can confide in. As a result, this will make it harder for students to speak out about the incident.
“I don’t think victims and perpetrators should request information and cross-examine each other because it will be more traumatizing for the victim,” said Alyssa Weber, a sophomore psychology and English major double major.
Weber expressed her concerns and showed her support by learning more about Title IX and being involved in the #MeToo Movement.
Student Association President Connor
Aitcheson wants to let his fellow Fredonians know that they are not the only ones appalled by the new proposed policies regarding the definition of what sexual harassment would be.
“It’s frustrating because if anyone feels victimized or violated, they should feel as if they’re going to be taken seriously as they perceived the offense was. I don’t think every time someone is violated they should have to evaluate whether or not it would meet a certain standard in order for action to be taken by certain institutions, law enforcement or any authority. I think if someone feels victimized, they should be supported and confident that action will be taken to ensure that this event doesn’t happen again,” said Aitcheson.
On Dec. 11, Student Association executives will have a conference call with U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to ask questions and look at how the public views these regulations so they can either show support or opposition formally to the Department of Education.