Update on Federal Title IX regulations and UMBC’s response

Thu, 07 May 2020 10:32:22 -0400

Dear Members of the UMBC Community,

Today the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights issued its final updated regulations implementing Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and discrimination against pregnant and parenting students, faculty, and staff.

The publishing of the amended regulations marks an end to a lengthy regulatory process that the U.S. Department of Education began in November 2018. At that time, President Hrabowski wrote to the UMBC community detailing the proposed rules, and explaining some of the changes the rules sought to make.

We want to reassure the community that UMBC’s values will guide how we implement these new regulations, and that we remain committed to providing the highest standard of support and care to all impacted by these issues.

UMBC’s new Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI) is open and fully operational, with staff working remotely during this time. Please visit the OEI website to learn more about the team. To report a complaint of sexual violence, misconduct, harassment, or discrimination, please use our online form. UMBC Title IX policies and procedures can be found here.

What you need to know:

The new regulations go into effect on August 14, 2020. If you have a case currently under investigation with OEI, the process for investigating and reviewing your case will not change.

Between now and August, when the new regulations take effect, we will work with the University System of Maryland, the Maryland Attorney General’s Office, and campus partners to ensure that our policies and procedures align with the new federal regulations, Maryland laws, court decisions, and our community values.

There might be legal challenges to some of these regulations, which could delay or modify them.

We also understand that the content of these changes will be stressful for some students regardless of when or whether they take effect. The UMBC community has a variety of resources available on campus and beyond to support students, faculty, and staff who are impacted by Title IX and equity and inclusion issues.

The Office of Equity and Inclusion plans to hold the first of several Community Conversations on these issues on Wednesday, May 13, at 3 p.m. Details will be provided soon on our website. Please feel free to email questions in advance to OEI@umbc.edu or submit them anonymously.

Be assured, UMBC is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of the campus community. We recognize the importance of ensuring that our Title IX process holds true to the University’s core values of equity, inclusion, and excellence.