Author: Kenyora Parham

Kenyora Parham, MSW, is the executive director of End Rape On Campus (EROC), which works to end campus sexual violence through direct support for survivors, prevention through education; and policy reform. You can find EROC on Instagram and Twitter.

Title IX: Upholding Justice for Student Survivors in a Historic Election Year

This year marks the 52nd anniversary of Title IX, a landmark civil rights law that has transformed the landscape of U.S. education. The Biden-Harris administration’s new Title IX regulations, set to take effect Aug. 1, represent a significant step toward acknowledging and addressing the unique challenges faced by student who face discrimination and sexual violence, especially female, LGBTQ+ and pregnant or parenting students. But Republicans hope to block these Title IX revisions and revert them back to the restrictive Trump-era Title IX guidelines.

In this historic election year, with President Biden stepping down from the presidential campaign and Vice President Kamala Harris stepping up as the new candidate, the stakes are even higher.

Dream Schools Can Be a Nightmare—But a New Data Tool Empowers Student Survivors

To fight for change effectively, we must listen to students and survivors nationwide and provide them with critical information on how campuses handle sexual assault. We built the Campus Accountability Map and Tool (CAMT) to do just that.

There is no “one size fits all” approach to addressing campus sexual assault, but the CAMT centralizes data to shift focus to one that keeps students first in mind and an institution’s bottom line and reputation last. 

campus sexual assault

The Department of Education is Failing Survivors of Campus Sexual Assault

In March, President Biden issued an executive order asking the Department of Education to re-examine the harmful Title IX regulations put in place under Betsy DeVos. But, after months of empty platitudes about “urgency” and how the Department “takes these matters seriously,” they have failed to take any meaningful action and will delay any changes until May of 2022. 

No survivor should have to wait to have their most basic rights met.

The Overhaul of Title IX Must Be Trauma-Informed and Inclusive of All Survivors

The Overhaul of Title IX Must Be Trauma-Informed and Inclusive of All Survivors

Earlier this month, I testified at the Department of Education’s hearings to re-examine Title IX. But as a thriving survivor of campus sexual assault and coercion, child sexual misconduct, and organizational trauma, I was jarred and disappointed by the process of testifying. As the administration works to overhaul Title IX, we want results that are trauma-informed—and the process to get there should be as well.