Last week was difficult. It was the first week after syllabus week and all of our focus (and money) went toward preparing for Hurricane Irma. But two big things happened in the world of politics. The first being that President Trump announced he is planning to repeal the Dream Act, also known as DACA. The second is that Betsy DeVos announced she would be rolling back on Title IX, specifically the Obama Era expansion that made universities investigate instances of sexual assault.
In her press conference, DeVos cited “violations of due process” that made her feel the policy should be eradicated. She claimed that the system of helping sexual assault victims on campus is broken and has ruined people’s lives, specifically those who have been falsely accused of sexual assault. DeVos then went on to give a speech that was the definition of victim blaming and siding with the accused. At one point, she said, “There are men and women, boys and girls, who are survivors, and there are men and women, boys and girls, who are wrongfully accused.”
Courtesy: CNN
To give you some background, Title IX was originally created to ensure equal treatment of male and female collegiate athletes, but as times have changed, so has the bill. Through the years, other important areas pertaining to the different sexes have been applied like sexual assault and harassment, as well as protections for trans students. While some feel the expansion of Title IX goes against its original purpose, this law remains one of the most important pieces of legislation on college campuses. This piece of legislation has protected victims and given female athletes equal treatment. And under President Obama, the law protected victims of sexual assault on campus and gave them visibility and justice.
No matter what your opinion on Title IX may be, DeVos’ decision has some serious consequences. In addition to breaking down the system of support and justice for sexual assault victims, DeVos is also pushing victims into silence. She did not focus much on the victims of sexual assault in her speech, instead sharing the same amount of time on the falsely accused. By sharing an equal amount of time, she makes it seem like the two groups are equal in number. They are not. Somewhere between 2 and 10 percent of sexual assault reports are fake. Many raised concern with DeVos during her preliminary hearings for United States Secretary of Education. They were worried she would roll back on the legislation, which is exactly what she is doing now.
DeVos said during her speech that the Department of Education is developing two different ways of dealing with sexual assault on campuses to replace the current system. Her new systems are being tested right now but many people remain wary on their effectiveness, especially with the speech she gave. She is pushing the victims into the shadows and is undermining their safety and well-being.