Laws

Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 is a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded educational programs and activities. Under Title IX, sexual assault and sexual harassment are forms of discrimination on the basis of sex. The Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, which enforces Title IX, has recently provided detailed guidance on how educational institutions like Richard Bland must investigate and respond to complaints of sexual assault and sexual harassment. Learn more in Questions and Answers on Title IX and Sexual Violence from the Department of Education.

The federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act), 20 USC § 1092(f)​, requires colleges and universities, both public and private, participating in federal student aid programs to disclose campus safety information, and imposes certain basic requirements for handling incidents of sexual violence and emergency situations. Compliance with the Clery Act is a condition for colleges, like Richard Bland, that participate in the federal student aid program, and is administered by the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid Office. As a part of its Clery program, Richard Bland collects and publishes statistical information on crimes occurring on and around campus as well as relevant crime and safety information, in its annual crime and safety report.

The federal Violence Against Women Act amendments and accompanying regulations (VAWA) clarify the duties of universities to investigate and respond to reports of sexual assault, stalking, and dating and domestic violence, and to publish policies and procedures related to handling of these cases. Under VAWA, colleges also must provide training to the campus communities on sexual misconduct. Compliance with VAWA is a condition for colleges, like Richard Bland, that participate in the federal student aid program, and is administered by the Department of Education in October 2014 and became effective July 1, 2015.