13.5. Harassment
Title IX is an all-encompassing federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of the sex of students and employees at educational institutions which receive federal financial assistance. Sexual harassment of students, which includes acts of sexual violence, is a form of sex discrimination. A number of different acts fall into the category of sexual violence including rape, sexual assault, sexual battery and sexual coercion. All such acts of sexual violence are forms of sexual discrimination covered under Title IX. The United States Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is in charge of enforcing Title IX. It states: 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 receiving Federal financial assistance. 20 U.S.C. § 1681
The Institute’s primary concern is ensuring the safety of students, employees and visitors and providing access to services. Duties and responsibilities include monitoring and oversight of overall implementation of Title IX compliance at the Institute such as coordination of training, education, communications, and administration of grievance procedures for students, faculty and staff. While compliance with this law is the responsibility of all members of the Institute community, any person who believes that discriminatory practices have been engaged in based upon gender may discuss their concerns informally or file a formal complaint of possible violations of Title IX. For information on reporting concerns or filing formal complaints, please see the Institute’s Title IX Policy.