Examining Incidents of Sexual Misconduct Reported to Title IX Coordinators: Results from New York’s Institutions of Higher Education

ABSTRACT

A paucity of studies has examined incidents of sexual misconduct reported to Title IX coordinators at institutions of higher education (IHEs) or examined differences across types of IHEs. We used 2018 data from incidents of sexual misconduct (N = 3,829) reported to Title IX coordinators at IHEs in New York (N = 209) to examine the context, processes, and outcomes of reported incidents. Findings show that most incidents reported to Title IX coordinators did not prompt the IHE’s conduct process; “other” disciplinary sanctions were the favored response for responsible students, while suspensions and/or expulsions were rarely used. Further data collection and analysis are needed to understand victim and IHE decision-making regarding reported incidents of sexual misconduct and specific processes at community colleges and independent IHEs.

KEYWORDS:

• Gender-based violence
• Clery act
• Title IX
• college student reporting

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The data used here are publicly available from the New York State’s Education Department

Additional information

Funding

There was no financial support for this research

Notes on contributors

Tara N. Richards

Dr. Tara N. Richards, is an Associate Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska, Omaha and a Faculty Lead for the Victimology and Victim Studies Research Lab. Her research focuses primarily on prevention, intervention, and system responses to sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and child abuse and neglect. She has published more than 70 articles and book chapters, her most recent work is featured in Child abuse & Neglect, Justice Quarterly, and Journal of Interpersonal Violence, and she is the co-editor of the book “Sexual victimization: Then and now.”

Lane Kirkland Gillespie

Dr. Lane Kirkland Gillespie is an Associate Professor in the Criminal Justice Program at Boise State University. Her research focuses on intimate partner violence, victimology and victim services, and gender. Some of her recent work appears in Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Feminist Criminology, and Child Maltreatment. In addition to peer-reviewed scholarship on these topics, she also conducts evaluation research for criminal justice and victim service agencies in Idaho.

Taylor Claxton

Taylor Claxton is a Ph.D. student in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska Omaha and a research assistant at the Nebraska Center for Justice Research (NCJR). Her current research focuses on trauma and resiliency, trauma informed care, and responses to sexual victimization. Her published work appears in International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology and Deviant Behavior.