When we send our sons and daughters off to college, we expect that they’ll be safe, protected and treated fairly. Sadly, we live in a world where discrimination and abuse are facts of life.
While there’s no way of completely protecting our young men and women from abusive and predatory behaviors, there are thankfully some laws that offer them protection in the event of abuse or assault.
What is Title IX?
For decades, the discrimination and unfair treatment of young women by our education system was rampant — and many argue that these systemic issues still persist today. This discrimination was most notably seen in high school and college sports, where opportunities were frequently presented to young men but infrequently offered to their female counterparts. This led to the enactment of Title IX in 1972.
Title IX is designed to protect female students from discrimination on the basis of sex.
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be [excluded from] any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance,”
the law states.
Since being enacted in 1972, Title IX has been expanded to also protect young women from sexual assault and harassment. Specifically, Title IX determined that if a female student experiences assault on campus, it’s the institution’s responsibility to investigate the matter.
Title IX cases in college
Campus sexual violence has been a topic of hot debate in recent years. During the beginning of the 2010s, female students who’d allegedly been assaulted by their male peers on campus began whistleblowing campaigns, claiming that their universities hadn’t done enough to ensure them their Title IX protections.
One of the most famous instances of this was the case of Emma Sulkowicz. She alleged that her college, Columbia University, didn’t do enough to investigate her allegations of rape against a foreign exchange student. The young man claimed that their encounter was consensual. To protest what she felt was a lack of appropriate response by the university under Title IX, Sulkowicz famously carried her dorm room mattress around with her as she attended classes.
However, both Sulkowicz and other young women who’ve come forward with assault claims have their fair share of detractors. The man who Sulkowicz accused of assault was exonerated by both the university and the New York court system.
Some opponents of the law feel that Title IX is often abused; young men facing accusations will be expelled from their universities despite never having been convicted of any wrongdoing by a court of law.
The truth about Title IX
The suffering of sexual assault survivors must never be dismissed or ignored. The sad truth is that 23 percent of young women report experiencing some form of sexual violence while attending college or university.
However, there will always be bad-faith actors who abuse the laws of the land for personal gain.
Our young men and women deserve a place to grow, learn and thrive, without being in fear of a brutal crime. At the same time, young people deserve the right to due process and fairness if they’ve been falsely accused of a crime.
If you or a loved one has been falsely accused of sexual violence on campus, you are entitled to defend yourself. The best way to fight for fairness is by obtaining the aid of a Title IX defense lawyer who will fight for truth and justice.
