I believe that Title IX has failed me too many times for me. My experiences may not be universal, but it's uncomfortable how many of my friends have been victims of sexual misconduct and have gone unnoticed by the Title IX office.
Recently, the President of my school emailed everyone a letter about how our school was working to make everyone feel comfortable and that our campus was a safe environment. This letter came out in the wake of a scandal involving two campus employees on paid leave after sexual harassment accusations.
As sorority sisters, we urge each other not to attend any of the parties hosted by the fraternities, since one of them has a bottle-resealing machine and almost all are known for being full of rapists. The fact that we have
Personally, I have felt so disheartened by the fact that my school’s Title IX office does not handle claims well. A mandated reporter filed a report on my behalf but I never received any updates about the situation except through my school’s Greek Life office. There should have been direct communication with myself and an investigation. The fact that the Title IX office did not perform any of these is wildly frustrating to me.
The negligence of campus offices reflects on our attitudes towards sexual misconduct as a nation. Each and every day, more accusations come out against powerful and culturally influential men. The more we sweep sexual misconduct under the table, we just send a message to everyone that they can keep getting away with this. The fact that we, as a society, have to tell people to stop raping each other, is horrific. The fact that basic respect has been lost to us is nightmarish.
If the actions of these people cannot be held against them, when a woman points her finger in the direction of a man, then I can only wonder how horrific sexual assault culture can be on a man who has been assaulted. If the Title IX office at my school cannot perform its duties for young women who have been victims of sexual misconduct, how does it handle the complaints of men who have been victims? I don’t think that it does.
Schools are better off throwing these things under the rug because then they won’t tarnish their reputation. The silence of victims arises from those in power who are greedy. If schools could properly address these issues, instead of throwing them under the rug, then perhaps we could get somewhere. Once schools stop tolerating sexual misconduct and truly acknowledge the safety of its student, we can get somewhere as a culture.
