Open Letter to President McRobbie at Indiana University — Protect Title IX
Dear President McRobbie,
We are students and alumni of Indiana University, as well as students and alumni of other universities across the United States. We are writing today concerned, because of the announcement to reduce federal enforcement of Title IX by Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. Our hope is that Indiana University will uphold the existing policies to protect survivors of sexual assault on Indiana University campus. It is imperative that students who are victimized are prioritized and supported by the campus they dedicate their time and finances to. Betsy DeVos has openly stated that she is rescinding the current policies and regulations surrounding sexual assault reporting on campus. This is not only terrifying for survivors, but also disheartening for the future students who will fall victim while attending universities across the United States.
At Indiana University Bloomington alone, according to the IUB campus climate survey, 17 percent of the undergraduate women and 2 percent of undergraduate men experienced attempted or completed nonconsensual sexual penetration while at IU. 86 percent of victims did not report to anyone on campus. Out of fear and anxiety, victims go to great lengths to avoid their perpetrators, which can lead to victims not able to attend classes, avoiding libraries or other study areas, and withdrawing from campus life altogether. The victim is stripped of their right to education in a protected and safe environment by the perpetrator. The many safety concerns of exposing a victim to the perpetrator undermines Indiana University’s commitment to promoting a safe and equal campus for all students.
After facing rape and sexual assault, there are also mental health challenges that emerge for the victim, such as depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, eating disorders, etc. These often create more barriers to the victim’s education. All of these symptoms and effects are magnified when a perpetrator remains on campus with a survivor, and they are further exacerbated when the school ignores their legal responsibility to protect students. According to the Indiana University Bloomington campus survey, 52 percent of students felt that IU should do more to protect their students from harm. Without the support and accommodations, many survivors see their grades drop as they struggle to participate in, or even attend, their classes; others are forced to leave school temporarily, transfer or drop out entirely. As a result, survivors are forced to take out additional student loans — often hundreds of thousands of dollars- to pay for services their school should have provided or for lost tuition.
During this time of uncertainty, students need to know that their school has their back and that the policies will remain unchanged. The Dear Colleague Letter helps reduce these knowledge gaps because it describes school’s obligations under Title IX in a manner that is accessible to students. If the guidance is revised or rescinded, students in the community will be unsure about their rights as a victim overall.
It has been evident that sexual assault has been rampant on Indiana University campus. Many students have recently expressed disdain toward how their case was handled through the Indiana University system, as shared by the local school newspaper recently. There are those who have also gone through the Title IX process through Indiana University and found solace, compassion and justice and also given resources to sustain their education. We want future students of Indiana University to be assured that they are going to get the same justice and compassion that they should receive when coming forward. However, DeVos’s actions threaten to plunge campuses into uncertainty. Students and administrators have worked together for six years to develop more effective policies for their campuses. This hard-fought progress is now at risk and schools should stand by the policies that the community has developed collectively.
We do not want to go backwards! Schools have improved thanks to student activism and the Dear Colleague Letter. Schools should stand by their policies, which will help survivors feel comfortable continuing to report to the school. Indiana University has the chance today to lead the country by publicly advocating for increased Title IX enforcement. Stand with survivors and show the country that this university cares about its students. Tell survivors that you believe them and that this university will continue to support them by continuing to follow best practices and guidance previously issued by the Department of Education. We urge you today to speak out against Betsy DeVos’s campaign to decrease federal enforcement of Title IX to make sure all Indiana University students and survivors to know that they are protected and assure them that IU will maintain their current policies and standards.
Samantha McCoy
Class of 2016, Indiana University
Paige McDonald
Class of 2017, Monroe Community College
Andrew Stacy
Class of 2016
Josh Shancer
Class of 2015, Indiana University
Jimmy Geurrero
Concerned Grandfather of four Indiana University Students
Richard Pruett
Class of 2006
Nicole Noelle Rhoads
Class of 2018, Ohio University
Abby Honold
Class of 2016, University of Minnesota
Anna Burris
Class of 2020, University of North Dakota
Dennis Martin
Class of 1992, Indiana University
Ellie Freeman
Class of 2017, Syracuse University
Grace Brennan
Class of 2015, North Dakota State University
Zachary Allyn
Class of 2010
Martin Godinez
Class of 2017, USI
Natalie Martinek
Class of 2016
Bryan Gillenwater
Class of 2021, Western Governors University
Madeleine O. Duret
Class of 2021, St. Cloud Technical and Community College
Julia Miller
Class of 2021, Augsburg University
Scott Dallas
Class of 1993, Murray State University
Sarah Shirley
Class of 2018, Indiana University
Joanna L. Hargas
Class of 2018, University of Minnesota
Olivia Basu
Class of 2017, Indiana University
Kaitlyn Goodwin
Class of 2014, Quincy University
Emma Beals
Class of 2011, Indiana University
Matthew Felty
Class of 2017, USI
Emma Eaton
Class of 2021, Nebraska Wesleyan University
Matt Fox
Class of 2017, Syracuse University
Megan Goeltz
Class of 2014
John Di Fiore
Class of 1976, Ramapo, Board of Directors for It Happened To Alexa
Jessica Meador
Class of 2019, Tulsa Community College
Zach Stavis
Class of 2017, Ramapo College of New Jersey
Kayla Talley
Class of 2011
Sarah Parks
Class of 1998
Olivia Stricklen
Class of 2019, University of Mississippi
Monique M.
Class of 2007, Columbia State Community College
Megan Day
Class of 2016, Indiana University
Marni Sherman
Class of 2016, Indiana University
Natalie Watson
Class of 2014, Indiana State University
Allison Rose Ebben
Class of 2018, University of Wisconsin
Stephanie Turpin
Class of 2009, Indiana University
Karen Linnane
Class of 1982, NCCC
Jennifer Henriquez
Class of 2010, SUNY Cortland
Anna Thomson
Class of 2018, University of Warwick (England)
Madeline Lacy
Class of 2017, Hope College
Allison Dixon
Class of 2012
