Ann and Sharon facilitated this session with a primary goal of getting connected to each other, to the current challenges facing campus leaders, and to the work ahead.

Attendees represented two year public colleges, four year public universities, and private institutions.

We asked two guiding questions and gave everyone an equal amount of time to respond.

The questions were:

1) What felt especially difficult to navigate in your work this past academic year?

2) Where did you find yourself continuing to show up, and what helped you do that?

Themes we heard.

1) Campuses have lost reliable partners as some Campus Centers have been eliminated due to real and perceived state and federal mandates and/or guidance. 

2) Campuses are experiencing an uptick in Title IX support requests for pregnant and parenting students. 

3) Campuses have had some particularly difficult cases related to IPV among employees/faculty/staff. 

4) Campuses are challenged to fit every activity, service, event into broad institutional strategic plans.

We continue to compile resources on these topics.

We are actively working on collecting resources for these issues. If you have found something really useful — please share and we can post it here.

What are some “Best Practices” for Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Students?  

In California, there is a state law requiring priority registration for parenting students (children under the age of 18). Toolkit here: https://thepregnantscholar.org/examples-of-ab-2881-basic-legal-compliance-vs-best-practice-support/ 

The Pregnant Scholar also offers primer on Title IX Basics here: https://thepregnantscholar.org/title-ix-basics/ 

Handbook from US Department of Ed from 2013: https://www.ed.gov/media/document/supporting-academic-success-of-pregnant-and-parenting-students-2013-33901.pdf 

Several campus leaders described an increase in Title IX reports by employees, and had some challenges navigating how to handle IPV cases involving employees.

What can we keep in mind when responding to employee reports?‍ ‍

Navigating Staff Title IX Investigations

When the respondent is an employee, Title IX and HR/Title VII obligations run parallel -- and they don't always align neatly. Campuses are increasingly expected to understand how Title IX, Title VI, and Title VII intersect, and many are being asked to manage those overlapping compliance obligations simultaneously.

When HR and Title IX are both involved in a staff case, how are you managing that coordination -- and where are the friction points?

Practical support areas to raise:

Do you have clear protocols for when the respondent is an employee vs. a student?

Are supervisors and HR trained to recognize and refer IPV situations appropriately?

What confidentiality and reporting tensions are they navigating?

Are there gaps in their campus advocacy resources specifically for employees?

Things to keep in mind:

Determine jurisdiction early. Is this a Title IX matter, an HR matter, or both? Getting that clarity up front saves a lot of pain later.

Both processes need to run concurrently without one undermining the other. That requires intentional coordination between your Title IX office and HR -- not just a handoff.

Regardless of what is happening at the federal level, your institutional obligations remain. Prompt response, equitable process, burden of proof on the institution -- that doesn't change.

Supervisors are often the first point of contact in employee cases. Are they trained to recognize and refer appropriately?

A note for small campuses:

When the community is tight-knit, confidentiality and investigator neutrality are harder to protect.

Discussing the possibility of bringing in an external investigator is often the recommended path when internal neutrality is at risk. This may not be an affordable option for some campuses, but for some it may provide a layer of transparency or confidence in the institution.

Resource: ATIXA's recorded session "Collaborating with Human Resources" (February 2025)

In Ohio, many institutions have had to rebuild community and support following the closure of campus centers .

What are some ways to center students’ needs, especially those from marginalized groups?

We have compiled a TIPSHEET here.

What are some tactics for fitting Changing Campus Culture recommendations into institutional strategic plans? 

Focus on Student Well Being / Mental Health     

The effects of campus sexual violence extend far beyond the incident itself. Survivors face significant mental health consequences that can derail their education and affect their long-term well-being. 

Research documents severe psychological impacts: 

• PTSD and depression. A meta-analysis found that the lifetime odds of PTSD are 7.57 times higher and depression odds 3.1 times higher for those who have experienced sexual assault compared to non-victims (Dworkin, 2020). Studies show approximately 39-50% of SA/IPV survivors develop PTSD within 3-6 months post-assault. 

• Anxiety disorders. Survivors show elevated rates of clinically significant anxiety symptoms, often beginning immediately after assault. 

Focus on Student Retention / Academic Success 

Sexual Assault as a Contributor to Academic Outcomes in University: A Systematic Review 

The Know Your IX 2021 Report found that 39% of survivors were forced to take a leave of absence, transfer to a new school, or drop out entirely after experiencing sexual violence. 

This represents not only personal tragedy but institutional cost—lost tuition, housing vacancies, and potential liability exposure.  

Focus on Opportunities for Student Leadership/ Internship/ Career  

• Undergraduate Capstone placements in prevention or peer leadership projects- communication, social media, data collection, evaluation, climate surveys.(health, statistics, comms, marketing, well-being & rec, drugs and alcohol, hazing)  

• Graduate Assistantships in SA/IPV Counseling, Social Work, Public Health

In our Peer Connection Sessions, we adapted our discussion format from a Liberating Structures tactic called “Conversation Cafe”.

We really love this approach to leading peer discussions and encourage you to learn more.

Click here for Conversation Cafe Host Manual

Click here for Infographic Style Mini-Guide

Liberating Structures: https://www.liberatingstructures.com/conversation-cafe‍ ‍