Interim Title IX Policy and Notice of Comment Period

Dear Pomona Students, Faculty, and Staff,

The U.S. Department of Education issued new Title IX regulations that will require the institutions of The Claremont Colleges to amend their current policies related to sexual misconduct. Title IX is a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. The law also pertains to cases of sexual harassment and sexual assault. The U.S. Department of Education issued the new regulations on May 6, 2020, with the requirement that they be implemented by August 14, 2020.

To comply with the U.S. Department of Education’s newly issued regulations for how colleges and universities manage Title IX cases, the Task Force proposed a new Title IX process for adjudicating cases of prohibited conduct.

The new regulations require extensive changes to the manner in which schools address Title IX allegations. While the new regulations are generally prescriptive in nature, The Claremont Colleges Title IX Adjudication Task Force (Task Force) considered the needs of both complainants and respondents across all seven institutions in developing its process. Despite some of the more concerning aspects of the new federal regulations, this new policy and process has the potential to improve the way Title IX cases are adjudicated at The Claremont Colleges (TCC) in several key ways: (1) The Title IX Coordinator at your home institution will continue to work with its faculty, staff and students, as well as TCC Title IX Administrator;  (2) investigations and adjudication will both be done by neutral third parties; (3) all parties will have the opportunity to ask questions and review the evidence throughout the process; and (4) centralizing the adjudication process will improve consistency in the process, in findings of policy violation, and in sanctioning decisions.

Students, faculty, and staff of The Claremont Colleges are invited to comment on the new policy through the following options:

1. Visit our Title IX website for more information and submit a comment form.
2. Submit written comments by email to TitleIX@claremont.edu by Wednesday, September 23, 2020.
3. Participate in one of our TCC webinars featuring Cristina Rose, of the TCC Board of Directors and Liz Paris, Title IX Consulting Attorney. Ms. Rose and Ms. Paris will provide an overview of the process, the new policy and take questions and provide answers. Following each webinar will be a listening forum hosted by each campus for their students, faculty, and staff.  The webinars and listening forums will be held on the following days:
   
   Tuesday, September 1^st
   Webinar with Q and A: 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. PST
   Listening Sessions: 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. PST
   
   Thursday, September 17^th
   Webinar with Q and A: 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. PST
   Listening Sessions: 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. PST

We appreciate the comments and suggestions we have received from community members to date and continue to invite members of The Claremont Colleges community to submit written input or ask questions by emailing TitleIX@claremont.edu.

Respectfully,