Title IX sexual violence reporting requirements: knowledge and opinions of responsible employees and students

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how university employees’ and students’ understandings of Title IX may affect both students’ disclosure of victimization and perpetration and employees’ reporting to Title IX coordinators.Design/methodology/approachStudy 1 surveyed 114 university employees about their knowledge of Title IX and what it requires of them. Study 2 surveyed 845 students to determine their knowledge of and opinions about Title IX mandatory reporting requirements, their beliefs regarding rape myths and feminism, and their sexual victimization history.FindingsIn general, faculty/staff members thought they were required to report sexual violence to Title IX coordinators and agreed with the reporting requirement. The majority (78.9 percent) of faculty/staff members said they would report a sexual assault disclosed by a student to the Title IX coordinator. Most students believed faculty/staff members were required to report sexual violence and reported high agreement with the reporting requirement. More than a third of students (36.3 to 36.9 percent) were unsure whether they would tell a faculty member about sexual assault (their own or that of a third party), and about a fifth (16.7 to 22.8 percent) were not willing to disclose.Originality/valueThese results underscore the importance of trainings to encourage both student disclosure and reporting by mandated reporters of sexual violence on college campuses.