TW: Sexual Assault

CoSAAA at Hendrix

Title IX is the ninth of the Education Amendments of 1972, which banned gender discrimination in all American colleges and universities receiving federal financial aid. This means that, in order to receive money from the government, Hendrix, like all colleges, must adhere to the code strictly. A major part of this, per Alexander v. Yale (1980), is protection against sexual assault and harassment, which according to the ruling is a form of sexual discrimination. This policy has led to many predators being brought to justice, but the title itself was vaguely worded. In 2020, after a few years of retracting Obama-era guidelines, the Trump Administration thoroughly defined a lot of aspects of sexual assault response, lessening survivor’s power. They heightened the evidence standard from a “preponderance” to “clear and convincing”, and allowed live hearings with cross-examination, which has a tendency to re-traumatize survivors and embolden those who can afford lawyers, discouraging some from filing in the first place. The Trump policy is still in effect today, and in order for your loans and grants to flow Hendrix must follow it to the letter.

CoSAAA, or, The Committee on Sexual Assault Awareness & Advocacy, is a recent student committee that rose up to defend and protect survivors of sexual assault at Hendrix, as well as to raise awareness of the existing problems and provide a safe space for any survivors of gender-based violence in their support meetings. It is not a part of the Hendrix Title IX office, seeking to provide support and resources for survivors independently of the administration. It came into existence in its current form in the wake of a massive protest against the former Title IX coordinator, Dr. Allison Vetter, which was organized by survivors who felt that she executed the existing policy inadequately. She did a poor job of communicating in a timely manner, allowed the informal route in egregious cases, was not very transparent to survivors regarding their cases, and held interviews in a stilted, non-trauma-informed manner. She continually cited the Trump regulatory changes, making overtures toward her “hands being tied”, but the changes that survivors wanted were not forbidden, merely voluntary.

Vetter left Hendrix last semester, and the college since then has made some positive changes. CoSAAA was active in the selection process that chose Vetter’s replacement, despite not being on the hiring committee. The new coordinator, Jennifer Fulbright, has shown herself to be eager to listen to and protect survivors to the extent that she is able. She manages the College’s Title IX team, conducts investigations, and oversees all resolutions in compliance with the Hendrix College As Education Coordinator, she is responsible for assessment, capacity building, planning, implementing, and evaluating education and training-related programs promoting attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that ultimately prevent gender or sex-based violence. Title IX Policy and Violence Against Women Act. Hendrix’s in-house Title IX policy was rewritten this year, by Fulbright, with some of CoSAAA’s concerns in mind, such as more clear, thorough diction and an updated, more comprehensive resource list. She has also begun working to revive ABEPSA, the Advisory Board for the Education and Prevention of Sexual Assault, and spoke to every sports team at the beginning of the year about prevention.

In the near future, CoSAAA plans to hold an intimacy workshop with Therapist Mariah Janae Brown, with an emphasis on the difficulties that come with being intimate post-trauma. Last year, they held a week of activities, including a self-defense seminar taught by a Krav Maga instructor, an interactive improv show that encouraged the audience to explore how situations could go, and other events geared toward discussing hard topics in controlled, safe spaces. Next semester, CoSAAA plans to do similar work, holding events for the entire campus community, while still helping particularly survivors.

Regardless of these steps in the right position, we as students must remain vigilant. Hendrix currently does not have anyone on payroll to advocate for survivors. The Title IX Coordinator must be purely investigative, maintaining distance. From RAINN, over one in four women who go to college in America experience sexual assault while there. At one point last year, during their Awareness Week, CoSAAA put up a board in the SLTC asking people to put up a blue flower if they were a survivor, green if they were friends with a survivor, and yellow if they didn’t know one at all. By the end of the week, there was only one yellow flower. This issue will not go away without hefty reforms and a lot of work, but there are many good people here at Hendrix who have taken this massive responsibility on. If you have been victimized, on or off-campus, please reach out to cosaaa.hdx@gmail.com and the Title IX Office, even if you don’t have the words for what’s happened to you, even if you’re solely trying to prevent something from happening to yourself or someone you know. They will do what they can if any students need to report any incidents of sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, sexual exploitation, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, or be assisted with pregnancy and parenting related issues.