Sexual Harassment in Title IX: Supporting Survivors While Addressing Rights of Parties Under Review

• In Event: From Structural Harm to Structural Change: Exploring Policy Levers for Educational Justice and Repair

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine Title IX legislation and the impact it has on the party under review and on survivors of sexual violence and show that it is not benefitting either party. While there is a fair amount of research surrounding survivors of sexual violence tried under Title IX (Bolger, 2016; Vail, 2019; Webermann et al., 2023), there is not much research on how Title IX affects those who are accused of sexual violence (Buzuvis, 2017; Cohen, 2005; Villasenor, 2016). This paper will analyze sexual violence under Title IX and how it refers to survivors and the party under review. While Title IX is extensive in its discussion of sexual violence, this research hopes to emphasize the critical elements of Title IX to add discussion on the portrayal of the accused and survivors and the language used to describe the two affected parties. Authors argue that neither party has the dignity and respect they deserve, and through this research, hopefully, we will see policy change not just for the survivors but for the party under review as well.

Authors

• Breanna Dawn Roberts, Northern Arizona University

• Lillian H. Selznick, Northern Arizona University