New Title IX regulations are coming to Elon, effective Aug. 1, according to an email from Megan Karbley, director of compliance and Title IX coordinator. Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance, according to the United States Department of Education’s website.
Some key points of the new regulations are enhanced protection for pregnancy, mandatory reporting of sex and gender-based harassment and expansion of response options, Karbley wrote.
Enhanced protections will include explicit protections for people from discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions. Mandatory sex and gender-based harassment reporting means that all faculty and staff will be required to report incidents of sex and gender-based harassment, including harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity, to the Title IX office. The expansion of response options means that Elon can now consider consolidating its process to address sexual harassment from two separate processes to a more broad response.
These updates come from guidance from the Department of Education released on April 19. These guidelines are on how schools receiving federal funding must respond to sex and gender-based harassment.
“As part of our ongoing commitment to equity and accountability, these changes are designed to ensure that all members of Elon feel supported and empowered,” Karbley wrote in an email to the student body.
Karbley did not respond to Elon News Network’s immediate request for comment.
In order to make this transition, the Title IX Office will be working with the Sexual Assault and Gender Issues Committee and the Gender and LGBTQIA Center over the summer. Training sessions and informational resources will be given to faculty, staff and students to navigate the updated regulations, Karbley wrote.