by Catherine Vincent

Should the Biden Administration change the regulations in Title IX created by Beaty DeVos concerning the due process of student accused of rape? Tile IX is a law created in 1972 that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded schools, this law since its creation has been interpreted in different ways by each administration. During the Obama-era guidance to colleges and universities was critiqued as being to hard on students and faculty that were accused of sexual misconduct or rape and included aggressive investigations of schools that had mishandled complaints about sexual assault. Trumps administration tried to narrow the definition of what constitutes as sexual misconduct and created a process that cements the due process rights of those accused. Rape and other forms of sexual misconduct I feel should be treated with speed and efficiency and at many higher level institutions it is not. Usually schools try to push it under the rug or not even address it at all and as a female student it is very concerning that your school is not able protect you or assist you in prosecuting your aggressor. Something in the article that stood out to me was said by Ms.Klein the former senior adviser to Hillary Clinton “The policy of this administration is that every individual, every student, is entitled to a free — a fair education free of sexual violence, and that people — all involved — have access to a fair process,” this statement is what every school should have in their mission statement because the protection of students is the most important thing that a school can do.