Title IX at UConn
The University of Connecticut is committed to ensuring a learning environment free from discrimination on the basis of sex (gender). Appropriately responding to reports of sexual misconduct is essential to this commitment. UConn's Title IX Team is responsible for ensuring the university proactively prevents, and responds appropriately to reports of, sexual misconduct.
Sarah ChipmanInterim Associate Vice President; Director of Equity Response and Education;
Deputy Title IX Coordinator; Interim ADA Coordinator
Sarah.Chipman@uconn.edu | 860-486-2943
Learn About Title IX
What is Title IX?
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex at educational institutions that receive federal funding.
Title IX is just 37 words and reads: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”
Who is protected under Title IX?
- Women
- Men
- Transgender individuals
- Gender non-conforming individuals
- Heterosexual, gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals
- Individuals with and without disabilities
- Individuals of all races and national origins, including international and undocumented students
- EVERYONE!
What does discrimination “on the basis of sex” include under Title IX?
Under Title IX, discrimination on the basis of sex include Sex-Based Harassment (including Sexual Harassment, Sexual Violence, and Gender-Based Harassment).
Additionally, Title IX prohibition on discrimination on the basis of sex includes discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (including transgender and gender non-conforming identity), as the Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County recognized that it is impossible to discriminate against a person based on their sexual orientation or gender identity without discriminating against that person based on sex.
What additional areas are educational institutions required to address under Title IX?
- Supporting the academic success of pregnant and parenting students
- Accommodating students’ athletic interests and abilities
- Prohibition of retaliatory acts against individuals who exercise Title IX rights
Community Resource Team (CRT)
The Community Resource Team (CRT) includes UConn and UConn Health employees and students and off-campus partners who work to address issues of sexual assault, intimate partner violence and stalking on campus. The CRT’s collaborative work helps to ensure that UConn UConn Health provide a coordinated, compassionate, trauma-informed response to all individuals impacted by sexual violence. The committee is chaired by Cameron Liston, Title IX Coordinator.
UConn’s Good Samaritan Statement
As stated in the Policy Against Discrimination, Harassment, and Related Interpersonal Violence, the University will not pursue disciplinary action against Complainants or witnesses for disclosure of illegal personal consumption of drugs or alcohol where such disclosures are made in connection with a good faith report or investigation of Prohibited Conduct. If an incident involved alcohol and/or drugs, UConn’s Good Samaritan Statement will explain the University’s expectations of students seeking immediate medical assistance for themselves or others when necessary.
Title IX and Personal Identity
UConn acknowledges that the effects of sexual and gender-based harassment and violence vary depending on the lived experiences, social identities, and status of those involved. And while each individual experience of harassment and violence is unique, acts of harm rarely occur in a vacuum, and often gain meaning from a variety of intersecting social identities (e.g. gender, race, ability, national origin, etc.) and cultural values. We use this knowledge not to make assumptions based on people’s identities or experiences, but to implement a response to harm that is nuanced and varied, rather than uniform.
Personal identities (such as race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, citizenship status,) can impact how someone reacts to sexual misconduct, including their healing. The following resources and information are intended to provide community members who hold marginalized identities with additional support and acknowledgement of their lived experiences.