Title IX coordinator and investigator understanding of mandated resources

Abstract

Title IX has shaped the policies and procedures of universities and colleges across the nation when it comes to sexual violence-based cases. Title IX was included as an amendment to the 1972 Educational Amendments that reauthorized the 1965 Educational Amendments. Title IX might have originally been to support gender equality, but it has helped students get the resources that they need when they have been sexual assaulted or harassed. The purpose of this study is to examine how Title IX investigators decide what resources to give the complainants and examining the resources that are given. Additionally, this paper will also examine the history of Title IX and the future of Title IX according to current Title IX investigators. The research was conducted using purposeful sampling and the snowball technique to find individuals who would be qualified to participate in the study. The participant interviews were conducted over the phone and transcribed by the researcher. The researcher examined the transcripts to identify any themes that became apparent. The research was able to demonstrate that Title IX investigators approach each of their cases with an open mind and do not determine the resources that they will give the student before they meet with the student. There was a wide variety of resources that the investigator give their students and the policies that one institution had did not always align with the policies of another institution. Each institution gives resources to their students that they think are best for their students and want to ensure that their university is doing everything that it can to support each student.