If you’ve attended college, you’ve most likely heard of Title IX. This 50-year-old legislation has made sex-based discrimination and harassment illegal in the higher education setting among students and faculty. Education on Title IX is the first step to promoting a safe campus, focusing on how to identify, report, and intervene in sex-based harassment. One of the best methods of education is through regular Title IX training, which can help create a safe and discrimination-free campus for all.
What is Title IX?
The Education Amendments of 1972, also known as the Patsy Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, prohibits discriminatory practices on the basis of sex or sexual orientation. Title IX of this act states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” These Title IX regulations have protected students and employees from sex-based discrimination for more than five decades, but their interpretation and enforcement have evolved since they were first passed, and continue to evolve today.
Prioritize Campus Safety with Title IX Training
Sexual discrimination is a sad reality on many higher education campuses. Although the initial purpose of Title IX was to prevent discrimination based on sex, the legislation has been expanded to address sexual violence, harassment, assault, domestic violence, and stalking because these actions can make the educational environment hostile. The best way to keep students, faculty, and responsible employees educated in current Title IX regulations (and remain compliant with federal law) is with regular, up-to-date training.
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1. Clearly Define Sexual Misconduct & Sexual Harassment
The first way that Title IX training can improve campus safety is by identifying the different types of sexual harassment. First, there is “quid pro quo” harassment by an employee of the institution, when someone asks for a date or a sexual favor in exchange for a reward or makes a threat if the sexual favor is not granted. The second type of harassment under Title IX is unwelcome conduct that is so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to an educational program or activity. The final type of sexual harassment under Title IX includes crimes of sexual violence, including sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. With Title IX training, like the interactive and engaging online courses from EasyLlama, it will become clear to learners what type of sexual harassment will trigger a Title IX investigation, and how to prevent it.
2. Bring Attention to the Title IX Coordinator role
The next benefit of Title IX training for creating a safer campus is the attention that it brings to the role of Title IX coordinators. In order to stay in compliance with Title IX, colleges are required to name at least one Title IX coordinator and share their contact information so that they can receive reports of sex discrimination, sexual harassment, or sexual violence. Larger campuses may even have a group of Title IX team members. Effective training can help students and faculty understand what actions are covered under this legislation, how to report an incident, and what the coordinator will do to help them.
3. Provide Clear Reporting Procedures
Title IX training should also detail the reporting procedures for a situation of sexual harassment, as well as the investigation and grievance process. Reporting potential violations to the appropriate people in your organization will enable your organization to proactively address any potential problems, provide targets of inappropriate behaviors with the resources they need, and take any necessary corrective action to ensure violations do not happen again.
Under Title IX, there are two types of reporting procedures (1) a formal complaint which will include names, incident details, an investigation, and a resolution, or (2) a confidential report which allows the complainant to choose which details to share about the incident and usually does not include an investigation. However, the postsecondary institution may be required to investigate certain types of reports, like sexual abuse by an employee.
4. Empower Learners Through Bystander Intervention Best Practices
A bystander is someone who watches an incident of harassment or discrimination, and who may support the victim by intervening. Interactive training like EasyLlama’s Title IX course can help empower witnesses of sexual misconduct to intervene. Bystander intervention best practices can include asking someone else to help you intervene, documenting the harassment on your phone or by taking notes, or trying to remove either the target or the harasser from the situation.
For a faculty or staff member, the authority they hold on campus makes it a good idea to use the most straightforward form of bystander intervention — directly addressing the perpetrator's behavior. In fact, Title IX requirements state that any “responsible employee” must report any allegations of sexual misconduct to your Title IX office, even if a person who told you about the misconduct doesn't want you to. Some colleges may designate all faculty or staff as responsible employees, while others may designate specific individuals.
Educate Your Campus with EasyLlama’s Title IX Training
EasyLlama’s Title IX training educates learners about Title IX regulations, with a primary focus on how to identify, report, and intervene in sex-based harassment and discrimination, with tailored versions for specific audiences, including Responsible Employees, General Faculty & Staff, and Students.
With the use of real-life scenarios, Hollywood-produced videos, and interactive quizzes, learners will be able to state the purpose of Title IX regulations, describe their Title IX responsibilities and those of their institution, detail the Title IX reporting process, recognize sexual misconduct, and identify appropriate interventions and responses. Get your free course preview today and learn how EasyLlama’s online Title IX course can fit into your campus procedures.
