As the 2024 presidential election looms ever closer, one of Biden’s flagship campaign promises remains unfulfilled and precarious; an overhaul of the long-since-gutted Title IX system in the United States. Though the Biden campaign’s initial promise of a day one rework was reluctantly accepted as irreverently optimistic, numerous administration-given deadlines have unceremoniously come and gone. The Department of Education missed its initial May 2023 deadline, and has now seemingly missed its extended October 2023 deadline, leaving the potentiality of a comprehensive Title IX rewrite as an open question- and an open wound on Biden’s rapidly deteriorating reputation (if, indeed, he ever possessed a positive one). Assuming that the legislation reworks are fast-tracked through the bureaucratic hell of the policy review process (which they won’t be), the earliest we could expect to get our hands on something tangible would be January of 2024- and assuming the worst case, the policy will remain mired in red-tape indefinitely, relegating it to, again, a hallmark campaign promise of the next abortive Democrat to win the primary nomination.
Where does this leave EMU? Or rather; where are we now, exactly? I believe that the undeniable reality is that EMU has a Title IX problem- this much I find inarguable. The true challenge of this claim is not so much its own verifiability, but rather its nuance in allotting responsibility to our institutions’ systemic failings while balancing the aforementioned failings at the federal level. For example, the gutting of Title IX resulted in codification of legal language that posits a steep prescription of behaviors that must be present before a case is considered for procession beyond an initial report. EMU as an institution has their hands tied in this regard- they have no legal means of enacting punitive measures on a student via the Title IX system if that student’s behavior does not meet the current metrics for problematic behavior- EVEN IF these behaviors would have readily been considered in violation of Title IX years prior, or are widely recognized as abhorrent (or are incongruent with the student code of conduct). However, alternative punitive policy CAN be utilized by the institution in such cases of insubordinate student behavior that may not meet the current qualifications of Title IX. This, to me, is where EMU’s policy falls short- or rather, EMU’s enforcement of it’s policy. In essence, EMU does not have an effective framework for dealing with student conduct that is in clear violation of its own sexual and relationship violence guidelines that is independent of Title IX. This results in an emergent “all-our-eggs-in-one-basket” approach, wherein all student reports of sexual misconduct at EMU are pigeonholed into a singular location; that being the Title IX coordinators office. Thus, the system (which, as we’ve established, is already impaired) becomes bottlenecked under the weight of this burden, resulting in horrific wait times and unresponsiveness. Compounding this, Kimberly Anderson, EMU’s Title IX coordinator, is only budgeted a finite number of working hours over a given period of time- placing her in the unenviable position of being forced to make judgment calls on the priority of certain reports, all of which must be done virtually, mind you. Worst of all, the reports that even make it to *this* stage likely don’t constitute the majority of sexual misconduct cases on campus, and the impotence and singularity of this system (which is well-acknowledged among the students who have engaged with it) further dissuades others from coming forward, thus resulting in a cultural attitude shift towards apathy and powerlessness among our most vulnerable students- even those who have yet to engage with said system. With no foreseeable federal Title IX policy rewrites coming to save us, EMU (both as an administrative body and as a community) must bear the impetus to right the wrongs of the current unjust framework, a framework which vulnerable students are expected to navigate whilst undergoing the most traumatic experiences of their lives. Pursuant of this, we must endure the responsibility of creating meaningful new policy that fosters a community of healing and change on campus- a community that is emboldened by the pursuit of sexual justice and safety for all people. . . A community that does not currently exist. In no uncertain terms, EMU must innovate its approach to sexual safety in order to live up to its own ideals. To cite EMU’s own title IX web page:
“Eastern Mennonite University (EMU or the University) is committed to establishing and maintaining a community rich in equality and free from all forms of discrimination and harassment.”
As such, I ask- no, PLEAD that the administrative body heeds the voices of students who have been wholly failed by the system as it exists currently, and centers those same students in the creation of a more holistic community via the implementation of rewritten and remagined policy regarding sexual violence and safety on campus.
Update as of 4/24/2004:
Since publication, EMU has reworked its Title IX system to better reflect the needs of the student body, but there is much work left to be done. As well as this, the Biden Administration has finally published an official list of changes they will be making to Title IX as it exists currently. These changes will be implemented by August 1. If you have any questions regarding Title IX, your rights as a student, or other related issues you just want to talk about, please contact Student Life Project Director Venissa White.