University students are showing college administrations that dismissiveness of rape is not only wrong but also illegal. Their weapon of choice? “Title IX. “:http://www.titleix.info/History/History-Overview.aspx

Many know Title IX’s relation to women’s school sports. This law calls for gender equality in educational programs that receive federal funding, which means that women’s sports programs must be equal to men’s. But it reaches beyond that, prohibiting sexual discrimination in these schools too. Ever since a lawsuit against Yale University in 1980, the definition of “sexual discrimination”:http://www.aclu.org/files/pdfs/womensrights/titleixandsexualassaultknowyourrightsandyourcollege’sresponsibilities.pdf has included sexual harassment, rape and sexual assault.

Researchers have estimated that “20 to 25 percent”:http://www.campussafetymagazine.com/Channel/Public-Safety/articles/2012/03/Sexual-Assault-Statistics-and-Myths.aspx of female undergraduates would become victims of attempted or completed rape during college. For many, the nightmare doesn’t end there. Only “10 to 25 percent”:http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/america-tonight/america-tonight-blog/2013/10/28/by-the-numbers-sexcrimesoncampus.html of male rapists are expelled from their universities, so victims are often forced to attend classes with and live near their attackers.

Supporters of this new movement argue that the trauma of facing an attacker after sexual assault can create an unfair and uncomfortable academic environment for female victims. This can lead to victims’ grades suffering and perhaps even cause them to leave the universities.

However, Title IX “holds colleges responsible”:http://www.dailycal.org/2013/11/19/know-ix/ for protecting victims from encounters with their attackers. Policies may include may include changing living arrangements, issuing stay away orders or even, possibly, expelling the attacker. 


Students, teachers and faculty members at universities all over the United States are making sure universities are following the rules set by Title IX. In 2009, universities faced “11 Title IX”:http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/11/11/new-weapon-against-rape-on-campus?cmpid=organic-share-email sexual misconduct complaints, and in 2013 that number has grown to 29. Just over the summer, “Dartmouth and the University of South California”:http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-22/dartmouth-usc-in-probes-for-sexual-misconduct-responses.html joined the list of schools under investigation. Students and alumni filed a complaint in October against the “University of Connecticut”:http://articles.courant.com/2013-10-21/news/hc-uconn-assault-title-ix-suit-1022-20131021_1_civil-rights-gloria-allred-dining-hall under Title IX.

If these schools are found guilty, there will be financial repercussions as well as a review of their current policies in handling cases of sexual assault. They will have to designate employees as Title IX coordinators, if they do not have them already.

This growing movement has empowered survivors mistreated by their universities. These advocates have formed a community to bring survivors together and help them seek justice.

The founders of the “Know Your IX Campaign”:http://knowyourix.org/ include many sexual assault survivors who successfully changed their schools using Title IX. They want all women to know they have the power to stand up to unfair universities.

Some schools, though, don’t need a lawsuit to follow the rules of Title IX. American University has not been sued for this issue. Designated Title IX officers work for AU, and the university has “policies”:http://www.american.edu/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&pageid=3031888 that help survivors.