I learned how Title IX and VAWA guide schools in protecting students through sanctions, interim measures, and retaliation safeguards. I’ll apply this by helping ensure students receive appropriate support and by promoting a safe, compliant campus environment.

I learned that schools must quickly and fairly investigate Title IX reports, provide equal rights to both sides, offer safety measures, and act even if the incident happened off campus.

This improves safety by ensuring reports of harassment or violence are identified quickly and addressed with immediate steps to stop the behavior and prevent recurrence. It also strengthens safety through clear reporting structures, trained staff, and proactive measures like monitoring and awareness programs.

Title IX is a 1972 law that bans sex‑based discrimination in federally funded education and guides how schools handle athletics and sexual misconduct. After the 2024 updates were blocked, schools returned to the 2020 due‑process rules. I’ll use this knowledge to help students understand their rights and direct them to the Title IX office when needed.

If a student opts out of Directory Information sharing, an institution must have the means to block access to it. This has become increasingly difficult with the increase presence of social media, like Facebook. I suppose my role would be to have an awareness of where this information might land so that I can protect the students as well as limiting the institution's liability.

As I dive deeper into the world of FERPA, I discovered that it entails much more than record privacy. It also includes a student's right to access and request amendments to their educational records.

Student information can only be released to staff with "legitimate educational interest".

FERPA serves two primary purposes:

1) It safeguards a student's personally identifiable information

2) It grants rights to parents and eligible students

It is also worth noting that an institution's failure to comply could result in the loss of federal funding.

Prevention an education are cornerstones of building a safer campus environment. Prevention can help reduce the risk of incidents before they occur. Educating staff and students empowers them to participate in their safety as well as that of others.

Understanding Title IX Investigations and Disciplinary Procedures will help me ensure that they are conducted fairly and equitably. A keen understanding will also help me to recognize bias and flaws from investigators or decision makers, that may impact students, staff, and/or the institution.