The Need to Balance Education with Enforcement in Title IX Regulations
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Three months ago, reviews were mixed when U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced the imminent rescinding of the Obama administration’s famous 2011 Dear Colleague letter, which provided guidance on Title IX and campus sexual assault and harassment.
On the political left, commentators like Lucia Graves argued that DeVos’s move let colleges off the hook and showed disproportionate concern about false rape accusations. Other writers commended DeVos for attempting to balance public safety with due process. Most colleges and universities adopted a "wait and see" response, leaving in place current Title IX procedures, while also awaiting the Department of Education’s promised revised guidance. Meanwhile, the #metoo movement has, of course, brought issues of sexual assault and harassment into the national limelight to an extent that would have previously seemed unimaginable.
