The Title IX Office and San Jose State’s Chief of Staff, Lisa Millora, hosted a listening session for students to share what they want to see in SJSU’s new Title IX and Gender Equity Officer on Tuesday and Thursday.
SJSU’s Interim Title IX and Gender Equity Officer, Peter Lim, is helping the university rebuild its Title IX Office since Feb. 21, 2022, according to a May 30, 2022 email by the university's former Interim President, Steve Perez.
Title IX is a federal law that protects students and employees in educational settings from discrimination based on sex or gender, according to a California Department of Education webpage.
Lim said the Title IX Office’s role is to respond to reports of any form of discrimination that is done based on sex or gender, including sexual assault, sexual harrassment, stalking and more.
“Our goal, of course, is always to foster gender equity across our campus and in all of our education programs or activities,” Lim said.
Lim said as SJSU’s current Title IX Officer, his role has four main functions.
He oversees the university’s response to reports of sex or gender discrimination, ensures investigations are done thoroughly within a reasonable timeframe and raises awareness on issues related to Title IX.
Lim also communicates with external agencies that interact with the Title IX Office.
He said he hopes the school will find a candidate to replace him by the summer.
“I think each individual that applies for the position will have a unique set of attributes that will evaluate and determine whether or not they are a qualified candidate to serve in this role,” Lim said.
Lim said no single individual will be in charge of deciding who will replace him.
He said instead, staff in the Title IX Office and Millora are aiming to include input from the campus community first.
“We want to include as many individuals as possible who have the technical expertise and who know the campus, to be part of the search process,” Lim said.
He said the listening sessions are meant to give the campus community an opportunity to share what they want from the Title IX Office and to share ideas on how it can improve.
“[Students] have a very specific perspective to bring,” Millora said.
The department and SJSU reached a $1.6 million settlement after concluding the university failed for more than a decade to respond adequately to reports of sexual harassment and sexual assault against female student athletes, according to a Sept. 21, 2021 news release from the U.S. Department of Justice, DOJ.
In June 2020, the Educational Opportunities Section of the DOJ also investigated allegations to retaliate against SJSU Athletic employees in connection to reports made against the athletic trainer, according to a resolution agreement between the DOJ and SJSU.
During the session, Lizeth Villarreal shared their personal experience with the Title IX Office.
Villarreal said in March 2021, during her freshman year, she had an incident with another student.
She said she reported the incident to the resident advisor, but she never heard anything back and she still doesn’t know why she hasn’t received a response.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t have a great experience with [the TItle IX Office],” Villarreal said.
She said since her first experience with Title IX, she hasn’t gone back to the office to make new reports, even though she has experienced similar incidents.
“We never want anyone to feel ‘Oh, I’ve got to have X, Y and Z before I come [to] the Title IX Office,’ ” Lim said. “We are the subject matter experts and we want to share your experience and allow us to carry that burden for you.”
He also said he doesn’t want students or faculty to feel they can’t reach out to the Title IX Office because of issues on whether or not their matters will fall under the office’s jurisdiction.
“I don't want there to be limitations on who accesses our services, because individuals need care and support if they feel or suspect that they're being mistreated,” Lim said.
Millora said the effects of a poorly run Title IX Office can last longer than what most would expect.
“I think [what is] not always obvious to folks is that because the negative impacts of doing Title IX badly can last for years, decades, you know, a lifetime,” she said.
Villarreal said she felt the forum gave her some clarification and relief after meeting the Title IX Office staff in person.
“It is kind of intimidating,” Villarreal said. “You know, you don’t know if they’re older, if they’re not gonna understand you or not . . . That’s what I wanted clarification on.”
Millora said she agreed with students during the forum.
She said she thought all of the input was really valuable and that it is important to educate the campus on what Title IX is and what the Title IX Office does.
Lim said he agreed with students when they shared ideas about finding new ways to help the Title IX Office become more familiar to the campus community.
He said he thinks it is a brilliant idea to find ways to encourage people to engage with the office's resources before they need their services.
Millora said it’s important to demonstrate to the campus community that their input matters.
“It's another way of making good on our commitment to be open, and sharing information and consulting with our community about matters that are really important,” she said.
Millora said the input they received from students will inform the search committee while the office searches for a new candidate to take the Title IX and Gender Equity Officer position.
