Government, Lawyers Targeting Title IX Violations

A reporter at the Chronicle of High Education interviewed OCR Chief Russlyn Ali about OCR's enforcement plans for Title IX. Ali says that the agency is stepping up enforcement of Title IX in the next several months. It remains to be seen what this means, but I hope it means that the agency plans to be more proactive addressing violations and responsive to complaints that get filed by others. Moreover, according to Ali, the agency also plans to issue guidance about the 2005 Clarification, the policy that allows colleges to comply with prong three with the results of an interest survey. (For a recent post about the controversial policy, see here.)

Meanwhile, the same article reports that private enforcement is also getting a boost from lawyers Nancy Hogshead-Makar and Kristen Galles, who are channeling their expertise on Title IX into a new organization called the Legal Institute for Gender Equity in Athletics. Their organization will provide support to lawyers who are bringing cases against institutions in violation of Title IX, offering sample pleadings and other litigation resources, as well as victims looking a referral. Just judging by the number of inquiries this blog receives from lawyers and victims seeking assistance, Galles and Hogshead-Makar are stepping up to fill a real need. We look forward to blogging about the project more as it gets off the ground.