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A Qualitative Study on the U.S. Department of Education's 2011 Dear Colleague Letter on Sexual Assault and the Impact on Louisiana Community and Technical Colleges

<p> Success through education for women was vastly limited before the passage of Title IX, which guarantees equal access to programs in higher education. Eliminating sexual discrimination through this legislation had the potential to open new worlds for America&rsquo;s women as opportunities blossomed at the collegiate level which led to a host of new career paths. Women successfully entered higher education and are represented in every field. </p><p> Unfortunately, the prevalence of sexual assault incidents in colleges proved to be a detriment to accessibility, and Title IX served as a tool to help create a safe learning environment for all students. The novelty of creating policies and procedures in this new arena led to many problems for colleges and universities as they sought to comply with Title IX mandates. As a result, the Office of Civil Rights issued a Dear Colleague Letter in 2011 to explain sexual assault and provide resources to bridge the complex divide between old and new notions of discrimination. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the Dear Colleague Letter of 2011 on the implementation of Title IX at community and technical colleges in Louisiana. Policy analysis was used to determine if the policy and procedures recommended were established at all twelve of the institutions. Title IX Coordinators were interviewed to provide a more in-depth picture of the implementation process and what challenges the institutions may have encountered. The findings indicate that Title IX Coordinators were knowledgeable about the Dear Colleague Letter of 2011, but the policies did not reflect this understanding. The implications resulting from this study can be used to inform and assist higher education leaders in maintaining compliance with Title IX.</p><p>

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:10980825
Date12 April 2019
CreatorsDevall, Wendy Ravare
PublisherUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette
Source SetsProQuest.com
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typethesis

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