Administrators at MCCC want to improve the Title IX process by providing better resources on campus.
Scott Behrens, vice president of enrollment and student success, works alongside Linda Torbet, executive director of human resources, as a Title IX coordinator.
Title IX, under the Department of Education, protects individuals from sex-based discrimination, as well as protection in cases of sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking.
Behrens said most institutions only have one coordinator, so although MCCC is ahead in terms of having multiple coordinators, he would like to see more.
“I don’t want to just meet the standard,” Behrens said. “We’ve got to do better.”
Behrens said there is a form online for people to fill out, but it is underutilized. He said this process formalizes everything and helps the person filing the complaint gather their information.
He said to his knowledge, nobody has used this form.
“The fact that no one’s done that — completed that form — tells me we really need to do a lot more education,” Behrens said.
Behrens said simply doing the required training is not enough.
“I know of two cases right now where someone went to somewhere and it didn’t get reported in a timely manner because they didn’t realize that the responsibility — in spite of watching the video — that they had to get that information to us,” Behrens said.
Behrens said the steps of the Title IX process include reaching out to the complainant, investigation, trial, remediation and documentation. He said the complainant can choose to control the confidentiality of the case, but it may impact the investigation.
He said he hopes to educate more people on Title IX complaints, how to make them and where to go in the event of filing a report. This includes informational brochures and videos for new students to watch.
Behrens said he wants to build a team of five more people qualified to work with Title IX cases so they’ll be easier to access through campus.
Behrens has been working as a coordinator for around a year and a half and Torbet said she has been Title IX coordinator for about 8 years.
Torbet said Title IX is always evolving.
“Regulations continue to change,” Torbet said in an email.
