Provost’s message on new Title IX regulations issued by U.S. Department of Education

Dear Stanford community,

Today the U.S. Department of Education issued new regulations for how colleges and universities manage Title IX cases. We are just now beginning to review these new regulations, comparing them to what was originally proposed and determining what is needed in order to comply. The new regulations take effect August 14, which is a short timeline.

To give you some background, the Department of Education proposed the new Title IX regulations in November 2018.  We reviewed them in detail, seeking input from students and faculty. Stanford’s Office of Institutional Equity and Access then produced an analysis that was shared with the ASSU.

Early last year, the Department of Education held a public comment period in which Stanford participated. To maximize the impact of our comments, we worked closely with two national associations to which we belong—the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the American Council on Education (ACE). AAU and ACE pooled our responses with those from other universities and submitted their comments to the federal government; these can be found here and here, respectively.

We expect this new rule will prompt much discussion nationally. I want to emphasize that at Stanford, we will continue our efforts to ensure that our campus is a safe and respectful environment to live, work, and study. However the federal regulations might affect Stanford, our goal remains to provide support for our students and ensure a fair, timely, and effective Title IX process. We will be consulting with faculty and student leadership as we analyze the new requirements and what they mean for our policies and procedures, and will keep the university community informed.

Persis Drell

For information on Stanford’s current Title IX policies and procedures, visit the Title IX website.