Understanding and Implementing Title IX Regulations

Abstract

Established by the Education Amendments of 1972, Title IX is an important statute of legislation that was enacted to protect individuals when discrimination and harassment on the basis of sex was prevalent in American society. Title IX states that “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” (Department of Education, 2021; Education Amendments Act of 1972, 20 U.S.C. §1681 et seq). Its broad implications imply that all individuals involved in a U.S. college or university should be aware of its purpose, their personal rights established by the statute, and the role they play in making sure the institution is compliant. Although simple in its phrasing, upholding policies in alignment with Title IX is a hefty task. Title IX has affected higher education institutions in many ways since its inception, and it is imperative to highlight key historical movements to understand its impact. Followed by a historical background of Title IX amendments, an exploratory study will be described to understand the implications of Title IX amendments for Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association (TICUA) members—particularly for Title IX coordinators. Descriptive findings will be analyzed through the lens of four dimensions: the institution’s size, religious affiliation, minority-serving status, and setting. We define size within three realms: less than 2,000 undergraduate students, 2000<4,000 undergraduate students, and >4,000 undergraduate students (Dunn & Forinash, 2021). We also delineate an institution’s minority-serving status in alignment with the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights’ definition for minority-serving institutions (e.g., Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Asian American and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions) (U.S. Department of the Interior, 2022). Furthermore, we define setting using the College Board’s Big Future definitions of rural, suburban, and urban settings (College Board, 2022). Finally, we define religiously affiliated institutions as institutions who are affiliated with a known denomination as observed in the College Board’s BigFuture college search tool (College Board, 2022). We will conclude our descriptive findings with key takeaways and recommendations that can be adopted by TICUA member institutions as well as the TICUA staff to support Title IX coordinators in their important work