The U.S. Department of Education today released  its final Title IX regulations offering sweeping changes in definitions, responsibilities and procedures regarding sexual assault with an August 14, 2020 effective date.  NAICU President Barbara K. Mistick, D.M., issued the following statement on the new regulations:
 
“After three years of study and nearly 125,000 public comments the Department of Education today has issued a 2,033-page set of complex rules and far-reaching regulations with an effective date of August 14, 2020, upending the entire process colleges and universities use to adjudicate sexual harassment and sexual assault claims on campus.
 
“College and university leaders are committed to providing a safe environment and fairness to all students.  However, in the best of times, it would be extremely difficult for colleges and universities to implement this wholesale change in rules and procedures in less than three months.  In the middle of a global pandemic and national economic collapse, when higher education leaders must be singularly focused on the health and safety of their students and campus communities and the survival of their institutions, this wholesale change is unconscionable.  
 
“We are extremely disappointed that the Department is imposing such a short implementation timeline at a time when the global pandemic has created a crisis for institutions and students alike, and when officials are not able to be on campus to prepare to implement the new rules.
 
“Many will be very concerned that these regulations will have a chilling effect on victims of sexual assault. In addition, the overly legalistic nature of the regulations will turn campuses into courtrooms and impose an expensive and burdensome process on institutions and students.”