About Title IX

The University's Title IX Office works to prevent, stop, and address sexual misconduct across all university campuses and for all community members:

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 was the first comprehensive federal law to prohibit sex discrimination against students and employees of educational institutions. It is one of several federal and state anti-discrimination laws that define and ensure equality in education. The regulations implementing Title IX, published in 1975, prohibit discrimination, exclusion, denial, limitation, or separation based on gender. Title IX states that: 

"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."

The law requires educational institutions to maintain policies, practices, and programs that do not discriminate against anyone on the basis of gender. Title IX requires that everyone receive fair and equitable treatment in all areas of education. Title IX covers men and women, boys and girls, staff, and students, in any educational institution receiving federal funding.

Yes, it does. For university purposes, sexual violence is defined as Sexual Misconduct under the University's Sexual Misconduct and Sex- or Gender- Based Discrimination Policy. A number of acts fall into the category of sexual misconduct, including relationship violence, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and stalking. 

Under the University's policy, sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual conduct on the basis of sex determined by a reasonable person to be so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies an individual equal access to the University's education programs or activities.  It also includes an employee conditioning the provision of an aid, benefit, or service of the University on the individual's participation in unwelcome sexual conduct.

Athletics is one of the key areas addressed under Title IX, but the law applies to every single aspect of education, including admission, recruitment, comparable facilities, access to course offerings, access to schools of vocational education, counseling and counseling materials, financial assistance, student health and insurance benefits and/or services, housing marital and parental status of students, physical education and athletics, education programs and activities, and employment.

Title IX requires equal opportunities to participate in the full range of extracurricular activities, equal opportunity to access all courses and programs, and equal opportunity to participate in athletics.

Title IX is enforced by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) of the U.S. Department of Education. The OCR branch which services Florida institutions is:

Office for Civil Rights
Atlanta Office
U.S. Department of Education
61 Forsyth Street S.W., Suite 19T10
Atlanta, GA 30303-8927
Telephone: (404) 974-9406
Facsimile: (404) 974-9471
OCR.Atlanta@ed.gov

The University will make all reasonable efforts to keep and protect the confidentiality of all parties involved.  The University will consider a Complainant's wishes before proceeding with a formal investigation or adjudcation of a complaint.