September 25, 2023
How Can Universities Fix Title IX? By Listening to Survivors.
By Peter Lucas
A student group at the University of California conducted a study of Title IX services on campus. “We thought if we did a survey then they would have to listen to us.”
(Jane Tyska / Getty)
In November 2020, Survivors + Allies, a group of University of California students that advocates for and with survivors of sexual violence, met with the Systemwide Title IX office. The participants asked whether a feedback form could be incorporated into Title IX complaints to give students a vehicle for suggesting improvements.
The administrators dismissed the proposal, saying that a feedback form would be demoralizing for Title IX employees. “We weren’t even asking for accountability on how they use the forms. We simply were asking for the opportunity for survivors to give feedback on their experience,” said Sara Wilf, a UCLA doctoral candidate in Social Welfare and cofounder of S+A. Instead, S+A decided to conduct its own study in May 2021, receiving over 1,200 responses from all 10 UC campuses.
Despite the UC system’s touting some of the best universities in the world, many students say that it is failing its survivors of sexual violence and sexual harassment. “We thought if we did a survey, then they would have to listen to us,” said Wilf. The survey found that, overall, student awareness of confidential resources for survivors is low. Only 68 percent of students had heard of Campus Assault Resources & Education—or CARE—which is the only survivor-centered confidential resource on UC campuses, while 80 percent of survivors reported feeling safe interacting with CARE staff. The survey also highlighted sharp disparities in awareness that all students—regardless of citizenship or documentation—could utilize Title IX services. The vast majority of international and undocumented students, for example, did not know they were covered under Title IX.
