Expanding the Title IX FAQs

Last week, the University’s Title IX Office updated its frequently asked questions page. When the document was originally released in October, student activists criticized it as “totally inaccessible,” and we asked whether or not the FAQs themselves needed FAQs.

The original version of the document read more like a policy change than the policy clarification it was presented as. It certainly did very little to reduce confusion on the issue. We remain firm in our belief that the University’s sexual assault policies should not be changed through the periodic updating of frequently asked questions.

While policy changes should not be revealed through FAQs, the idea of such a document is not inherently problematic. Policies on sexual assault are often opaque and complicated. We understand that much of this simply comes from the nature of the issue: Nothing about responding to sexual assault is or should be easy. At a minimum, however, Harvard’s policies should be presented clearly. Long documents containing nearly 50 questions and answers do not provide clarity; neither do two-page flowcharts with arrows pointing in every direction.

Despite our concerns with the document as a whole, the newly-added questions do contain valuable information that clarifies previously-opaque parts of the process. If the University is determined to update and clarify its policies through FAQs, it should do so regularly and in a way that takes into account many voices and perspectives.

Given this concern, we are glad to see that the Title IX office consulted with a variety of student groups before posting its latest version of the document. In the future, expanded outreach to additional groups would make information about sexual assault reporting more accessible to more students. While working with activists and student representatives is laudable, the issue cuts too deeply to stop there. The Title IX office and its representatives should be an active presence on campus.

Beyond the development of more accessible FAQs, complementary areas of policy also deserve attention. The final report of the Task Force on the Prevention of Sexual Assault called for the implementation of mandatory sexual assault training each year for all students at the College. We reiterate our firm belief that such training is an absolute necessity and must be implemented before the beginning of the next school year.