Title IX applies to ALL students

Title IX Coordinator Search: Where we are now

PHOTO BY BRIDGET REILLY | THE WICHITAN Vice President Keith Lamb speaks about a new parking permit initiative at the Board of Regents meeting, Feb. 14.

CHRISTIAN EVANS REPORTER M idwestern State University has been operating without an effective Title IX Coordinator for the last two months. The former Title IX Coordinator, Rachael Fornof, was at MSU for about a year and a half and left the campus in early December of last year due to the relocation of her husband to a different part of the country. Fornof was a well-received Title IX Coordinator who was active in campus life, well known by students and brought campus-wide attention to Title IX via many different programs and events that she brought to campus. Since her departure, Amanda Snodgrass, the assistant athletic director of business and finance and student women administrator, has taken over from Fornof as the acting Interim Title IX Coordinator at the request of Keith Lamb, vice president of student affairs. Snodgrass graduated from MSU with a master’s in counseling, a bachelor’s in sociology and a minor in psychology; she also has a background of six years of investigative work on many cases of different varieties at either the primary or secondary role.

Snodgrass said she took on the role of Interim Title IX Coordinator until a replacement was hired since she was already heavily involved with two other positions related to the athletic

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TITLE IX: 1) Title IX is a civil right that prohibits nation in education. 2) Title IX applies to ALL students gender identity. 3) Schools should ensure that no student has to share campus space (such as dorms, classes, and workplaces) with their abuser. 4) Schools can issue no-contact directives vent accused students from approaching or inter acting with the complainant. 5) ALL schools receiving federal funding public K-12 schools and the majority of colleges, are subject to Title IX.

department and had experience with investigative work.

“I was asked to take this over when Rachael left,” Snodgrass said. “I’ve been an investigator for, I think, six years so I have worked on a number of cases. I guess Dr. Lamb felt comfortable with me taking over this until we found someone else.”

Snodgrass said she balances this position with her other positions by working from home and practices a lot of time-management as well as prioritizing her tasks.

“I work a lot,” Snodgrass said. “I am lucky that my job in athletics is somewhat flexible depending on what our schedule is as far as games and everything, but that does mean that I work a lot of hours and I work a lot from home making up all my paperwork. It’s just about time-management. I did not want to take on this position and it just be something I did every once in a while. For me, it’s really important to make sure we are taking care of our students.”

Snodgrass said it’s most important that the school is taking care of its students and when an incident report comes in, she takes care of it as soon as possible.

“I don’t want a student to wait and not feel like we are hearing them,” Snodgrass said. “I definitely do more Title IX stuff than my actual, current job.”

According to Snodgrass, Lamb is in charge of hiring the new, permanent Title IX Coordinator, and she gets to be apart of the process of finding.

“Amanda is doing a fabulous job in the interim role,” Lamb said. “I know this is a burden on her, as it would be on anyone since she already has her job and this is an added responsibility. I know Kristi Schulte, who is the deputy Title IX Coordinator for students is helping quite a bit. The team is doing a good job of pulling it together [and] I have comfort in knowing they’re doing a good job so we can get the right person.”

Lamb said Fornof set a good foundation for the next Title IX Coordinator to come into. He also said she is still engaged with “For me, it’s really important to make sure we are taking care of our students.” AMANDA SNODGRASS INTERIM TITLE IX COORDINATOR