Title IX Overview

Wesleyan's commitment to continuous improvement: 

Functioning with a structure of (5) Title IX committees (Core, Policy, Education, Student Advisory, Athletics) since 2013, Wesleyan moved forward a number of initiatives and changes. 

In 2019-2020 these committees were restructured to form two teams important to the ongoing development of trauma-informed policies and educational initiatives as transparently as possible. 

• Title IX Resource Network brings together students, faculty, staff, and Middletown community members to capitalize on individual and group input.
• Civil Rights Core Team* (formerly Title IX Core Team) brings together Wesleyan leadership to  continually to review and revise processes related to climate, culture, and complaince; and to meet the needs of the Wesleyan community.

Our collective goal is to engage the campus community in conversations in a way that opinions are heard in a respectful and thoughtful manner. In a caring learning community, every single one of us has an obligation to intervene when we see others in trouble.  Ours must be such a community. We can do better, and we will.

UPDATE - August 2024: revised U.S. Department of Education regulations regarding Title IX

In short, the regulations restore and strengthen vital protections for students and provide schools with information to meet their Title IX obligations while offering appropriate discretion and flexibility to account for variations in school size, student populations, and administrative structures.

Additionally, the regulations promote accountability by requiring schools to take prompt and effective action when notified of conduct that reasonably may constitute sex discrimination in their education programs or activities.

*Current Core Team Members:

Debbie Colucci, Assistant Vice President for Equity and Inclusion / Title IX Coordinator
Willette Burnham-Williams, Vice President for Equity and Inclusion
Patricia Stephenson Gordon, Associate Director for Equity Compliance / Deputy Title IX Coordinator
David Winakor, General Counsel and Secretary of the University
Michael Whaley, Vice President for Student Affairs
Rick Culliton, Associate Vice President/Dean of Students
Jennifer D'Andrea, Director of Counseling and Psychological Services
Kathy Burdick, Assistant Director of Public Safety 
Lisa Brommer, Associate Vice President for Human Resources
Philip Murray, Director of Labor and Employee Relations

What is Title IX:

Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972 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. Title IX is a federal law intended to end sex discrimination in all areas of education. It applies to non-discrimination based on sex/gender to all recipients of federal funds and applies to issues of program equity, such as in athletics, and also to sexual harassment and sexual violence.

Most people who know about Title IX think it applies only to sports, but athletics is only one of 10 key areas addressed by the law.  These areas are: Access to Higher Education, Career Education, Education for Pregnant and Parenting Students, Employment, Learning Environment, Math and Science, Sexual Harassment, Standardized Testing and Technology, Minors.

Note - discrimination based on pregnancy and parental status is prohibited by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

Title IX requires that schools must offer pregnant students the same benefits they offer to students with other medical conditions, such as illness or injury. One exception to this rule is absences – Title IX requires that schools (including universities, colleges, etc.) excuse absences due to pregnancy and related conditions for as long as a doctor says it is necessary.  Students to whom this applies should work with Health Services and their Class Dean.  

Click here to learn more about supporting the academic success of pregnant and parenting students under Title IX.

Additionally, sexual misconduct and violence on college campuses is of great concern and has been/is being continually reviewed to allow change to occur through such legislation as:

• 2011 Dear Colleague Letter from OCR: Provides clarification to all institutions receiving Federal funding. Specifically states that sexual harassment of students, which includes acts of sexual violence, is a form of sex discrimination prohibited by Title IX.

• PA 12-78, entitled An Act Concerning Sexual Violence on College Campuses: Connecticut’s response to the Dear Colleague Letter, it requires public and private higher education institutions to adopt and disclose one or more policies on sexual assault and intimate partner violence.

• The Campus Sexual Violence (SaVE) Act  Seeks to update the Jeanne Clery Act.  SaVE requires that incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking be disclosed in annual campus crime statistic reports.

• Violence Against Women Act Fact Sheet: VAWA is similar to the requirements of Connecticut’s PA 12 -78 while codifying some provisions of OCR’s Dear Colleague Letter and imposing mandates for additional student awareness programming.

• PA 12-114, entitled An Act Concerning Domestic Violence: Among other provisions, requires clerks of court, upon request of the protected person, to send notice of protective orders to the President and the special police force established pursuant to section 10a-142, if any, at the College or University at which the victim is enrolled.

• HB 5029, entitled An Act Concerning Sexual Assault, Stalking and Intimate Partner Violence on Campus: Once enacted this will require each institution enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with at least one community based sexual assault crisis center as well as at least one community based domestic violence agency for the express purposes of facilitating the use of such centers by members of the campus community.

• Campus Safety and Accountability Act: If enacted this will amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act to combat campus sexual violence, and for other purposes.

• PA 16-106, entitled An Act Concerning Affirmative Consent: requires all Connecticut colleges and universities to adopt an affirmative consent policy.

• NCAA Sexual Violence Prevention requires all DI, DII, DIII institutions to provide annual prevention training.

• Public Acts  19-16 and 19-93 , which together constitute Connecticut's training expectations for all employees through the TimesUp Act