Title IX has helped change athletics at the University, however students may not know that the title does more than just athletics.
Chief Equity and Diversity Officer Barbara Waddell came to talk about Title IX to the Undergraduate Student Government Monday night.
“Title IX has been on the books for a number of years,” Waddell said during the meeting. “It says no one in the United States can discriminate against students [Kindergarten] through post secondary education, they can’t be denied rights based on gender or how you identify.”
Title IX protects students at the University because we receive federal contracts and funding, she said during the meeting.
“There are different types of violations that [students] need to look out for because protection for them extend beyond the classroom,” Waddell said during the meeting.
Some of these violations include sexual or gender harassment, disabilities, acts of sexual violence, intimate partner relationship violence, bullying, stalking and retaliation.
“If anyone sees acts like these happen, they can contact many different people for help,” she said during the meeting.
Students can contact the College Dean or Chair, Office of Equity and Diversity, Disability Services, Student Employment or Office of Human Resources to report incidents.
The reason most people only know about the athletic side of Title IX is “because for years, it was all about athletics,” Waddell said. “We could really see there was a problem. We have done a much better job of getting there, but we aren’t done yet.”
The problem is football, Waddell said.
“There is no women’s side to football, but BGSU has done a good job at trying to work and offset hockey and football [with women’s sports],” she said.
Waddell said Title IX works to expand those boundaries besides just sports.
“Making sure we create a wholesome value for our students is our goal,” she said.
President of USG Alex Solis said Waddell is very transparent for the students.
“Being a cabinet member, she needed to make sure we know how important Title IX is, and we saw that tonight,” he said.
Along with Waddell, Director of the Union Patrick Nelson came to speak during the USG meeting.
He came and spoke about reserving spaces for events student organizations host. There will be a new policy activated soon some USG members took interest in.
“Soon, students will have to cancel events within 60 days before the event instead of 30 days like it was previously,” Nelson said. “The reason for this is it takes away opportunities for others to reserve the space.”
If students cancel before the 60-day mark, there is more of a chance the room can still be used and reserved again, he said.
USG will not be having a meeting next week due to Veteran’s Day, so the next meeting will be November 18 in Union 308 at 7:30 p.m. Vice Provost Rodney Rogers will be speaking and answering questions at this meeting.
