Sorah Emory, Campus Carrier staff writer
There is a divide between formal and emotional closure for students who file Title IX complaints at Berry. Though the college has established the BRAVE assault and violence prevention program with a federal grant, students who report under Title IX still face a heavily emotional toll.
Federal regulations require that Berry posts their policies for Title IX online through their website to guide students on how to handle their cases.
Title IX is a provision of a federal law that covers sex-based discrimination cases reported in educational environments or any activities that receive funding from the federal government. Under this law, cases involving sexual assault and harassment are also subject to investigation.
“Under the new Title IX Regulations, sexual harassment (a subset of sexual misconduct) must be investigated and addressed according to the procedures outlined in this policy,” Berry College’s formal Title IX policy says. “Although the Regulations narrowly define sexual harassment, Berry remains committed to providing a higher education environment that is free from sexual discrimination, sexual misconduct, and gendered violence.”
Associate Dean of Students and Title IX Coordinator Lindsay Norman said that her role in the process is to communicate with students about their options according to Berry College policies, and what the process will look like.
“The federal guidelines require me to be an unbiased source,” Norman said. “My job is to make sure that [students] know what our policy is and that we follow it.”
A student can choose to initiate an informal resolution or file a formal complaint, which then goes to investigation and a formal hearing.
Norman noted that Berry encourages students to report incidents, and that the process is not designed to be difficult.
“When you do a better job telling people how to report and what they could expect, you communicate a sense of comfort to folks who might be affected by these incidents so that they come forward,” Norman said. “Our goal is for everyone to report.”
A student who chose to remain anonymous for this article reported a sexual assault case to Norman in 2023, to which she responded with according to Title IX policy.
Although the student felt that the Title IX process had been adequately explained to them, they still felt much of the case’s emotional weight was on them when they had gone to administration for support.
“I’d say they explained to me pretty well the options that I had,” the student said. “I just feel like either way, it wasn’t going to be resolved without it putting more pressure on me.”
The student felt that the formality of the process did not help ease the emotional weight of the situation.
“I think having to relive it every single week was rough,” the student said. “It felt kind of unfair. I reached out and had to talk about it all the time. I was struggling emotionally and practically failing my classes, all for nothing. At that point I would’ve rather just kept quiet in the first place.”
The student felt that the issue was taken seriously from a formal perspective, but they thought that the choices they were presented with were dismissive.
“I just feel like the process could be different. It was all or nothing,” the student said.
The student described feeling uncomfortable going ahead with a full hearing. For them, that meant having to go through more emotional distress.
The student said that those in charge of handling the case were not responsive to their distress.
“Anytime it was brought to Berry, it felt as if they wanted to sweep it under the rug,” the student said.
Norman said that students could report staff to supervisors if they felt staff were not fulfilling their role in supporting the student.
“Students have the ability to file an appeal if they felt like someone didn’t fulfill their role in that process,” Norman said. “They could make a complaint to any individual faculty member’s supervisors.”
The student’s concerns about a lack of sensitivity in handling these cases indicates a misalignment between the policies and the experiences of affected students. Because of the intrusive and thorough nature of the process, the student mentioned feeling highly pressured.
In response to concern about the process increasing emotional distress, Norman said that emotional support resources like counseling and confidential conversations are available and students are encouraged but not pressured to use them.
Berry has implemented Title IX training for resident assistants to support students in properly handling these cases.
“We want to make sure people know they have resources,” Resident Assistant Riley Wilson said.
Wilson additionally described how the Title IX training was one of the more significant aspects of her training.
“[Title IX situations] can bring up some uncomfortable conversations,” Wilson said. “But it was normalized that a part of our job is to handle these cases professionally, even though it can be challenging.” Wilson said.
Norman recognized that talking about Title IX cases can be uncomfortable for students, but it does not have to be. She said there are confidential staff members to speak with on campus.
“There are several confidential supports in our counseling center, such as Ashley Demonbreun-Chapman, who is uniquely positioned and responsible for supporting students who are navigating these processes,” Norman said.
Norman offers emotional and physical support for both parties.
“We want to help students beyond that moment to make them more comfortable,” Norman said. “None of our resources expire.”