Title IX, as all college students should know, is the public law in the U.S. Education Amendments that states no person may be discriminated against in education in any way, shape, or form; which includes gender. This also means that heavy topics, such as sexual harassment and assault, should be discussed and understood in order to avoid any harmful acts.
Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Education, is, of course, in charge of Title IX and all its issues. Recently, she announced that she intends to “move beyond” the Obama directive, which took the form of a letter, concerning the handling of rape and sexual assault on college campuses via Title IX.
This statement is a direct implication that Devos will be rescinding the Dear Colleague Letter sent out by the Obama Administration.
What is this Dear Colleague Letter I speak of? It is a letter the Obama-era Department of Education sent out to all college receiving federal funds reminding them of their Title IX duties regarding sexual violence. Some of the reminders involve colleges needing only small amounts of evidence in sexual assault cases and accusers not being cross-examined.
These are major aspects of assault cases, ones that could entirely make or break the results of case. This allows victims a higher chance of getting justice. Should victims of a horrible act be made afraid of coming forward due to the fear of being told there is not enough evidence?
At this time, DeVos has not made any specific changes clear, but here’s hoping there are not any changes that could send innocent victims into shame and hiding. While no major policy changes have been made yet, you can expect DeVos to be making some in the near future.