Title IX Interim Guidelines Student Leaders Response

The Honorable Betsy DeVos Secretary of Education United States Department of Education 400 Maryland Ave SW Washington, DC 20301 Dear Secretary DeVos: As an incoming Secretary, you pledged a renewed effort to protect students from sexual violence and to ensure fair procedures throughout the investigatory process As students on college campuses across the nation, we share your concerns about the rash of assaults on campuses as well as the way in which campus authorities respond However, we write to you today to express our concern that the proposed revision of Title IX guidelines on university campuses will place an undue burden on survivors of sexual assault It is well known that a majority of survivors never come forward publicly Though every survivor of an assault may have a different reason for not reporting, it seems clear that the stigmas associated with rape and sexual assault are a contributing factor across cases and campuses We believe society and our own student communities are making progress to reduce victim shaming and victim blaming, no doubt in part prompted by Title IX guidelines that help ensure that allegations cannot be ignored Our concern is that this progress will be impeded by the new guidelines under your consideration, namely, raising the burden of proof necessary for a finding of responsibility will decrease the willingness of universities to launch thorough investigation proceedings Without clear, unwavering commitment from elected officials and government leaders, yourself chief among them, it will be too easy for school administrators to prioritize the avoidance of bad publicity over holding perpetrators responsible for their actions Consistent policies and strong enforcement make campuses safer, allowing all students to be able to focus on learning in and out of the classroom and building the skills necessary to achieve in a globally competitive work environment This is why we respectfully urge you to reconsider proposed changes to Title IX guidelines in order to continue upholding the spirit of past guidelines that empowered survivors to feel safe reporting an assault We believe it is both possible and critical that the guidelines continue to emphasize the responsibility of collegiate administrators to make campuses safer and stay responsive to the needs of survivors while also ensuring the rights of those accused Sincerely, Adelphi University Student Government Association Taylor Dumpson American University Student Government President Johnathan O’Dea Anne Arundel Community College Student Government Association President Mark MacStudy Allegheny College Student Government President Tristan Fielder Angelo State University Student Government Association President Aquinas College Student Senate Colleen Morrison Arcadia University Student Government President Nipuna Ambanpola Armstrong State University Student Government President Angela Beam Barnard College Student Body President Cristian Osvaldo Flores Berea College Student Body President Kiley Varney and the Executive Council Bethel College Student Body President, Student Government Association Jermel McClure, Jr Binghamton University President, Student Association SaraAnn Kurkul Boston University Student Body President Sean Godwin Cairn University Student Government Association Alisha Clark Bryn Mawr College Student Body President Samantha Quiambao California State University, East Bay ASI President & CEO Laila Dadabhoy California State University, Fullerton President & CEO, Associated Students Inc Saba Ansari California State University, Fullerton Chief Governmental Officer, Associated Students Inc Lauren McClain California State University, Monterey Bay Associated Students President Ivy Petsinger Case Western Reserve University Student Body President Christa Bennet Champlain College Student Government Association President Mitchell Rosenberg Chapman University Student Government Association President Penny Amero Clinton Community College Student Senate President Jenna Lathrop Cochise College Student Government Association President Mary Catherine Steenberge College of Saint Benedict Student Body President Jendaya Workman College of Saint Elizabeth President, Student Government Association Vito Van Dunk The College of Saint Rose Student Association President Colby Riley College of San Mateo ASCSM President Jason Chavez The College of St Scholastica Student Body President Donnie Stephens College of the Holy Cross SGA Co-President Maggie Scanlon College of the Holy Cross SGA Co-President Zachary Awe College of the Redwoods President, Associated Students Elijah Levine College of William & Mary Student Assembly President Nathan Rosin Columbia University Student Body President Concordia University, St Paul Student Senate Victoria Quezada-Hernandez Community College of Denver Student Body President Dhruv Sitapara Drury University Student Body President Miles Payne Eastern Michigan University Student Body President Tanya Torres Fisk University Student Government Association President Kamar Mack Georgetown University Student Body President Luke Frigon Gettysburg College Student Body President Christina Guarin Green Mountain College Student Body President Julia Horowitz Connecticut College Student Body President Riyanka Ganguly Duke University Student Body President Daysi Bedolla Eastern Oregon University Student Body President Rachel McCulley Fontbonne University Student Government President Sujay Peramanu Georgia Institute of Technology Student Body President Carlo Jerome Juntilla Gonzaga University Student Body President Hubert Ngabirano Gustavus Adolphus College Student Senate Co-President Ben A Dombrowski Marquette University Student Body President Solveig Svendsen Gustavus Adolphus College Student Senate Co-President Sara Antony Hamline University Student Congress President Papa Assane Ndiaye Hillsborough Community College Student Body President Morgan Peters Illinois Institute of Technology Student Body President Dan Niersbach Indiana University Student Body President Nick Radziewicz Jackson College Student Body President Jack Ayres Kansas State University Student Body President Jairad S Hydrick ‘19 King’s College, PA Student Government President Molly Gallagher Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Student Body President Justin Cornelius La Salle University President, Student Government Lane Community College Associated Students of the Student Government James Rossano Lasell College Student Government Association President Leeward Community College Student Government 2017-2018 Janice Hind Lesley University President of the Undergraduate Student Government Peter Bacon and Jada Sullivan Lesley University University Student Senate Alexandra Moen Lorain County Community College Student Senate President Leslie Silva Alegre Los Angeles Valley College Student Body President Hayden Tanabe Loyola Marymount University ASLMU Student Body President Marissa Valdez Lewis & Clark College Student Body President Efren Uriel Lopez Los Angeles Pierce College Student Body President Francesca Galbato Loyola University Maryland Student Body President Adam Lindoo Madonna University Student Senate President Anthony D’Andrea Marymount University President, Student Government Association Nehaarika Mulukutla Northwestern University Student Body President Kathleen Giang Maryville University Student Body President Jonah Jackson Mercyhurst University Student Government President Jamie-Claire Chau Messiah College Student Body President Mitchell Sanford Michigan Technological University Undergraduate Student Government President Kyle Fuson Missouri Western State University Student Body President Paul Granberry III Missouri Western State University Assistant Student Director of External Relations Courtney Brandon Middle Tennessee State University Student Body President Aaron Richard Minot State University Student Body President Kylar Clifton Montana State University President, Associated Students Reece Christenson Missouri Western State University Student Body Vice-President Brian Moon Mt San Antonio College Associated Students President Cindy Barragan Lopez Modesto Junior College President of the Student Senate Natasha Lujan New Mexico Highlands University Student Body President Payton Robinson Moorpark College President of Associated Students Suchira Sharma Northeastern University Student Body President Camille Gladieux Mount Holyoke College Student Government Association Alicia Moulder Northern Virginia Community College Annandale Student Government Association Vice President Ximena Pedroza New College of Florida Student Body President Andres Smith Northern Virginia Community College Loudoun Student Government Council Chairman and Student Government Association Secretary Juan Manuel Calero Canaval New York University Student Government Chair Andrea Luna Northern Virginia Community College Annandale Student Government Association President and Council Secretary Vincent Gorgone Northern Virginia Community College Manassas Student Government Association President Brenda Medrano-Frias Northern Virginia Community College Woodbridge Student Government Association President Lindsay Denton Notre Dame De Namur Student Assembly President Zach Solomon Occidental College Associated Students President Thobeka Mnisi Oberlin College Student Senate Chair Robert Bertha Point Park University United Student Government President Julianna Stanley Radford University Student Body President Thomas A Mitchell Rhodes College President of the Student Body Erica Delamar Saddleback College President, Associated Student Government Jack Cummings Saint John’s University Student Body President Maria Jose Vides Pomona College Student Body President Associated Students Pomona College Melanie Castillo Saint Michael’s College (VT,USA) Secretary of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Aynoa Rincon Salt Lake Community College Student Association President Richard Vaughn Samuel Merritt University Student Body President Simon Brundage Oregon State University Student Body President Katie Lightcap Pacific University President of the Undergraduate Student Senate Andrew Jackson The Ohio State University Andrew Jackson Hilary Vo Pacific Lutheran University Student Body President Raven Brunner Pennsylvania State University New Kensington Student Government Association President Brent Finkbeiner Portland State University Student Body President Stephan Lally Ramapo College Student Government Association President Jacob Brostuen Roger Williams University Student Body President Tyrell Mann-Barnes Temple University Student Body President Lauren Kreiss Saginaw Valley State University Student Body President Robbie Meyer Texas Tech University Student Body President Sophia L Adams Saint Michael’s College (VT,USA) Student Association President 16-17, 17-18 J Gray Hamilton The University of Virgina’s College at Wise Student Government President Cearrah L Sherman Salisbury University Student Body President Kim Tran Truckee Meadows Community College Student Government Association President Kelly Peng Scripps College Student Body President Alec Burris University of Alaska Anchorage Student Body President Lauren Healy Salve Regina University Student Government President on behalf of the Student Government Association Sam Levin Tulane University Student Government President Jason Gorelick Sonoma State University Student Body Vice President Mary Liu Seattle Pacific University Student Body President Willow Zimmerman Spokane Falls Community College Student Body President Jill Cartwright Spelman College 76th President of the Student Government Association Alysha Coyle St Thomas University Student Body President Eleanor Seiter Spring Hill College Student Government Association President Kojoh Atah Stanford University Chair of the Undergraduate Student Senate Danny Wilson St Norbert College Student Government Association President Ayyan Zubair Stony Brook University Undergraduate Student Government President Alyssa Paige Morley Stetson University Student Body President Josephine Hung Swarthmore College Student Government Co-President Rachel M Martin Tennessee Technological University Student Body President Anthony Guimond University of Maine at Augusta Student Government President Christopher Blakeley The College of New Jersey Student Government President Mike Kenyanya University of Minnesota – Duluth Student Body President Benya Kraus Tufts University Community Union President Drew Rogers University of Missouri – Kansas City Student Body President Nicholas E Fears Tulane University Graduate and Professional Student Association Lizbeth Juarez University of Montevallo Student Government Association President Molly O’Scannell University of Alaska Fairbanks ASUAF Student Body President Mariame Dangnokho University of Baltimore Student Government President Josh Dalavai University of California, Davis Student Body President Youssef Agiez University of Bridgeport Student Body President Christina Lee University of California, Los Angeles Student Wellness Commissioner Arielle Yael Mokhtarzadeh University of California Los Angeles Undergraduate Student Association Council President Lesly Figueroa University of California San Diego Undergraduate Student Body President Salma Memon University of California, Merced Associated Students President Max Jimenez University of California, Santa Cruz Student Union Assembly President Troy Santos University of California, San Francisco GPSA President Morgan Smith University of Denver Student Body President Hieu Le University of California, Santa Barbara Associated Student President Justin Murphy University of Houston – Clear Lake Student Body President Irma Valverde University of Connecticut Student Body President Jacob Simpson University of Iowa Student Body President Executive Board University of Hartford Student Government Association Raneem Shamseldin University of Illinois Student Body President Morgan Hartgrove University of Tennessee, Knoxville Student Body President Mady Womack University of Kansas Student Body President Zach Berger University of Utah Student Body President AJ Pruitt University of Maryland Student Body President Sarah Kenny University of Virginia Student Council President Executive Board University of Minnesota – Twin Cities Minnesota Student Association Kishane Patel University of West Florida Student Body President Sean Burkett University of Missouri – St Louis Student Government President Katy McGarry University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire Student Body President Carley Rotenberg University of New Hampshire Student Body President Nigel Watkins University of New Orleans Student Body President Melissa Rosa University of New England Undergraduate Student Government President Amy Schenk University of Oregon Associated Students President Noah Brooks University of New Mexico Student Body President Jamal White University of Northern Iowa Student Body President Max Kneis University of Pittsburgh Student Government Board President Amanda Diaz University of Pugent Sound Student Body President Moneer Kheireddine University of South Florida Tampa Student Body President Garrett Bown Pierce College Puyallup Student Body President Brandon Rivera University of Portland Student Body President Ross Lordo University of South Carolina Student Body President Austin Dunn University of Southern California Student Body President Pdg Muhamiriza University of Southern Maine Student Body President, Student Government Association Preston Templeman University of Texas at Tyler Student Government Association President Blake Humphrey West Virginia University Student Body President James Mileo Towson University Student Body President Andi Dahmer Western Kentucky University Student Body President Petrillo The University of Vermont Student Government Association President Mary Sasso Wheaton College (MA) Student Government President Arwa Mohamed Dubad University of Washington Tacoma Student Body President Ryan Fitzgerald Xavier University Student Government Association Vice President Emily Kuester University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee Student Body President Katrina Morrison University of Wisconsin – Madison Student Body President Tiffany Yang University of Wisconsin – Fox Valley Student Body President Anish Kanoria Vassar College Student Body President Alex Vernon University of Wisconsin – Stout Student Association President Rex Willis Virginia Tech Student Body President Jordan Frost Washington State University Student Body President Melat Kiros Washington College Student Body President Tom Kind University of Wisconsin – Whitewater Student Body President Cody Morcom Wilkes University Student Body President Benjamin Reimler Winona State University Student Senate President James Beall West Virginia University Potomac State Student Government Association President Tania Covarrubias Western Nevada College President, Associated Students Monica Mohanty Wesleyan College Student Government President AnnaMrie McCorvie Whitman College Associate Student Body President Jack Wellman Willamette University Student Body President Zeina Farhat Xavier University Student Government Association President Eduardo Jesus Patron Cano Xavier University Student Government Association Vice President ... President, Student Government Lane Community College Associated Students of the Student Government James Rossano Lasell College Student Government Association President Leeward Community College Student. .. Bethel College Student Body President, Student Government Association Jermel McClure, Jr Binghamton University President, Student Association SaraAnn Kurkul Boston University Student Body President... President, Associated Students Elijah Levine College of William & Mary Student Assembly President Nathan Rosin Columbia University Student Body President Concordia University, St Paul Student Senate