Title IX Charges: Ensuring Fair and Proper Title IX Investigations
When students or their loved ones encounter Title IX charges, they have a lot to be concerned about. Such concerns include the risk of adverse findings, disruption to academic and personal life even without any finding of responsibility, and the proper handling of the Title IX investigation and disciplinary process at their school. The sad reality is that colleges and universities do not always handle their tasks properly, which can affect both complainants and respondents in a Title XI campus disciplinary case. This concern prompted the federal government to create the Department of Education (DOE) responsible for investigating colleges and universities nationwide that either mismanage allegations of sexual assault, sexual violence, or sexual misconduct against students, or fail altogether to investigate such complaints.
In recent years, it is evident that the DOE has become more aggressive in proactive investigatory work with an increased number of schools coming under investigation. A total of 312 investigations of colleges and universities have been carried out so far in this era of constructing informed Title IX policies. Of these, 165 cases were private schools while 147 were public schools; however, only 51 Title IX cases have been resolved while 261 still remain open because most are extended beyond standard timelines.
The average case duration for each federal investigation is around 1.4 years a period during which all involved parties must endure what can be lengthy legal processes if judgment for liability isnt established immediately or cases go unresolved after several investigations. As it stands today, five schoolsStanford University, St.Mary’s College (Maryland), Kansas State University, Princeton University, and University of Wisconsin (Madison)hold records for being investigated by DOE-OCR numerous times.
The following table illustrates Colleges/Universities currently under federal investigation for alleged Title IX violations:
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES CURRENTLY UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION
| ALABAMA | Marion Military Institute | University of Alabama at Birmingham | |
| ALASKA | University of Alaska system | ||
| ARIZONA | Arizona State University | ||
| ARKANSAS |
University of Arkansas at Fayetteville | ||
| CALIFORNIA |
Butte College | California Institute of the Arts California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo Loyola Marymount University Occidental College Pitzer College Pomona College Saint Mary’s College of California Samuel Merritt University San Francisco State University San Jose/Evergreen Community College District Stanford University University of California system: at Berkeley, at Davis, at Los Angeles, at San Francisco, at Santa Cruz, other» – University of San Diego – University of Southern California | |
| COLORADO | Biohealth College
Colorado State University at Fort Collins |
Regis University |
Southwest Acupuncture College |
| University of Colorado at Boulder | University of Colorado at Denver University of Denver |
There are numerous schools under investigation for Title IX compliance issues in various states. For example, Yale University and the University of Connecticut in Connecticut, Amherst and Hampshire Colleges in Massachusetts, and Harvard University & MIT in Cambridge; all these institutions have been under the DOEs watchful eye regarding their proper handling of Title IX cases.
In conclusion, students or their loved ones know they can trust the Department of Education to ensure justice when it comes to fair Title IX investigations and combating sexual violence on campus. However, if you are at an institution undergoing any Title IX investigation process or are a victim seeking direct legal support or resolution for your case – contact a reputable law firm as soon as possible.
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