What You Might Not Know About Title IX
By Severio Martin
Title IX was a law passed in 1972 that outlaws discrimination based on sex in any school that receives funding by the government. Each syllabu in classes here at Southern Virginia University includes information about this law so that students always have a way to solve these types of problems.
This law speaks against stalking, sexual-harassment, dating violence, promotes equal pay among the sexes, issues with athletic accommodations among many other things. The question is, how can it help students during their time here at the University?
To help students understand what Title IX is and how it’s there to help, I spoke with Stephanie Hardy, who is the Title IX Coordinator here at Southern Virginia University.
Regarding this law, Southern Virginia University has an amnesty policy. The concern for the University’s students safety is the first priority. Due to this concern, Hardy does not report an Honor Code violation. She doesn’t report back to the Dean of Students, to the student’s Bishop, or to a students’ parents.
Hardy says, “If you’re not ready to talk about it right now, and need a couple months, or a year to process it before you are ready to open up, you can still report. Title IX is just not to report discrimination between students and professors, it can be between student to student, employee to employee.”
Students always have the choice to decide whether or not to file an informal complaint. However, a student who does report a situation, they do not have to go through a formal investigation if they don’t want to.
“The need to protect students and anyone else in the campus community to prevent harassment from them outweighs the gravity of whether they broke another rule. I am all in favor of the honor code but we do not want that to stop people from getting the help they need. You have a right to boundaries, if you are not sure of something come in and talk it through with me.”
How to Report:
- Turn to a trusted professor; just know that they are mandated to report an issue.
- Go to the Assistant Title IX Coordinator; you can reach her at kenzie.cox@svu.edu or 540–261–8501.
- Go directly to Stephanie Hardy located in the library, office hours from 8am-5pm, or reach her at Stephanie.hardy@svu.edu or 540–261–4090.
