USG passes resolution to submit comment to Department of Education in response to proposed Title IX legislation
January 23, 2019
Last November, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy Devos announced a series of proposed regulations under Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination within educational institutions. According to Devos, the new provisions will provide “clear policies and fair processes” in cases of sexual misconduct. Campus organizations, such as Tulane’s Undergraduate Student Government, disagree.
On Tuesday, Jan. 22, USG unanimously passed a resolution to submit a comment on behalf of the organization to the U.S. Department of Education on the proposed Title IX regulations. The comment, according to the resolution, would allow USG to voice its concerns about the new regulations’ affect on Tulane students as well as students at other universities.
Allison Foster, USG director of student health and wellness, co-wrote the resolution with USG President Erin Blake. Foster says since the climate survey results, many organizations have created initiatives in order to prevent sexual violence, and they felt compelled to reiterate the importance of preserving them.
“These programs and advocacy work all center around the guarantee of protection against gender-based harassment and discrimination provided to all students via Title IX,” Foster said. “So when the U.S. Department of Education and Secretary DeVos proposed changes to Title IX that rolled back many of these guaranteed protections, it seemed only fitting for USG to respond on behalf of the student body.”
Foster says they hope the letter will serve as reminder to Tulane on the importance of protecting students.
“Regardless of the outcome of these proposed changes nationally via the Department of Education, we hope to use this letter to prove the importance of guaranteeing the rights of sexual assault survivors on our campus, and urge campus administrators to maintain the evidentiary standards, off-campus coverage, and much more that they do now that ensures the safety, physical health and mental health of our community at Tulane,” Foster said.
USG plans to submit the comment before the public commenting period for the legislation closes Jan. 30. Foster encourages all students to sign the letter.
‘This is a constant, but important, fight — Tulane is only great when all of its members are safe and supported,” Foster said.
Students can view and sign the letter here or submit their own letters online. For more information regarding sexual violence prevention and Title IX, visit allin.tulane.edu.
Civil Rights • Jan 29, 2019 at 9:10 am
From the letter: “On page 52, section (vii) of the proposed regulations requires that institutions of higher education hold live hearings and creates a right for cross-examination. This proposed change requires a survivor of sexual assault to risk re-traumatization and triggering memories, which has adverse mental health effects and may affect the individual’s access to and quality of education moving forward. A cross-examination may bring undue emotional burdens to the accused party as well.”
That is the student government of Tulane advocating against the Bill of Rights, specifically the sixth admendment. Sexual assault is a crime and should be procescuted by the state not by universities. Of course it’s traumatizing but all citizens are protected by the Constitution which unfortunately doesn’t specify protections against emotional trauma. Yes there are deficiencies in how the police and criminal justice system handles sexual assault but the answer to those problems is to reform those systems rather than allow universities to pursue their own form of extrajudicial proceedings.