SNAP Disappointed as New Title IX Policy Set to Take Effect on Friday

Efforts by state attorneys general to block a new Title IX rule failed this week and now the updated policy is set to go into effect on Friday. This is a disappointing legal decision that will not only make it more difficult for survivors to report campus assaults but will also negatively impact the safety of university communities.

Led by Pennsylvania, whose Attorney General is also actively investigating clergy sexual abuse, law enforcement leaders from 17 states and the District of Columbia failed this week in their attempt to delay the implementation of the new Title IX regulations. Despite government officials touting this new policy as a win for survivors, in our opinion these new rules will make it more difficult for victims to come forward, will add arbitrary and unclear definitions and guidelines, and will almost assuredly result in fewer, and slower, investigations into cases of sexual violence on campuses.

This new policy is not good for students, it is not good for parents, and it is not good for universities. We hope that other legal challenges are mounted against these dangerous new rules and that the regulations do not last long enough to do real damage to campus communities nationwide.

CONTACT: Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org

SNAP Network is a GuideStar Gold Participant