What is Title IX?
Title IX, a federal law passed in 1972, provides protections for both men and women to prevent a hostile environment on campus and to ensure that every student has equal access to educational programs and activities. These protections include:
- Equal opportunities for admission, scholarships, and athletics
- Prohibitions against sex-based harassment, discrimination, and violence
- Assistance for victims and third-party witnesses, including protections against retaliation for coming forward with a complaint or participating in a Title IX investigation
Just about anyone associated with a university or college has the right to file a Title IX claim. Faculty, staff, and athletic coaches may file harassment claims on behalf of themselves or other parties—for example, a coach could lobby for equal access to sports facilities for female student-athletes—and students may file against other students, professors, or the school administration.
Addressing Title IX Accusations
A skilled Title IX Lawyer in Buffalo could help any of the aforementioned groups file a Title IX claim against someone else. However, the legal team at Tully Rinckey PLLC could also help you if you find yourself the target of such a claim or involved in a disciplinary investigation regarding a Title IX claim.
Title IX claims are generally resolved within sixty days of an investigation being opened, so time is often of the essence when organizing your defense. Given that the consequences for a guilty finding may include suspension or expulsion from your school’s conduct council, as well as criminal fines and jail time from local authorities, finding and retaining a capable attorney could be paramount to your future prospects.
How to Report Sex Discrimination in Buffalo
Depending on the school you attend, you may have a different process to go through when filing a Title IX complaint, but in general the procedures are similar at most universities. For instance, anyone at the University at Buffalo—including students, faculty, staff, contractors, and guests—is free to make a Title IX report to the school’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) within one year of the last incident of gender-based discrimination, harassment, or violence.
After a report is made, your university typically conducts a prompt investigation in order to take remedial action and address the misconduct, keeping the complainant updated throughout the entire process. As mentioned previously, investigations typically take up to sixty days, but this timeframe may be extended under special circumstances.
Additionally, anyone who is part of a campus community can contact their school’s Title IX authorities anonymously to discuss their options. However, if the incident involved unlawful sexual harassment or assault, the university may be required to respond even if the complainant does not wish to pursue action against the person they are accusing.
If an investigation finds that university sex discrimination/harassment policies were violated, the university in question may recommend remedial action, including suspension, expulsion, or non-disciplinary action like counseling or discrimination training for the offending party. Furthermore, if the school itself is implicated in relation to a Title IX violation, they may have to pay damages to the victim and may even lose federal funding in extreme cases.
