Title IX Town Hall addresses annual report, Vol Voices survey results

topics on the docket included the office’s annual report and findings from the Vol Voices survey conducted last year.

Local organizations and campus partners were also present at the event, including representatives from the Sexual Assault Center of East Tennessee, the Knoxville Family Justice Center and the Center for Health Education and Wellness.

The town hall opened with a look into anticipated changes to Title IX policy. In the summer of 2022, the Biden administration proposed a number of changes to Title IX, including altering the response process following a violation report. These changes are now anticipated to be finalized in May and will go into effect during the fall 2023 semester.

The office also presented their annual report, which can also be accessed online through the office’s website.The report covers data from January 2022 to December 2022 and focuses on the preventative and supportive measures the office undertakes throughout the year, in addition to numbers relating to violation reports.

“About half of the report really focuses on the prevention and education that’s done in collaboration with campus and community partners,” Laura Bryant, deputy Title IX coordinator for prevention, training and evaluation, said.

She especially drew attention to cooperation with the Office of Sorority and Fraternity

Life and the Center for Health Education and Wellness.

One trend of note in the report included a rise in the number of concerns reported, although these reports also covered individuals who approached Title IX for issues not connected to the university. Incidents between strangers remain rare, with the overwhelming majority of incidents involving people who are somehow acquainted.

“Oftentimes, people make the assumption that sexual assault or sexual violence is done by an unknown person,” Ashley Blamey, UT’s Title IX coordinator, said. “But the reality for most of our campus and our community is that all these interpersonal violence events happen between parties that know each other.”

“The idea of ‘harm by a stranger’ is incredibly rare in this population,” Blamey said.

The second part of the town hall was devoted to the Vol Voices surveys, which were administered during the 2021-22 academic year. This was the first time since 2017 that the university had conducted a study on sexual violence experiences amongst its student body and employees. Vol Voices constituted a larger and more in-depth study, and Blamey expressed hopes of organizing an even bigger survey later down the line.

There was one version for students and another that was sent out to faculty and staff. Participation was quite limited: less than 10% of students and around 15% of faculty and staff ended up submitting responses.

“We knew that there might be challenges in getting participation rates,” Blamey said. “People are likely over-surveyed, and they often do wonder what happens to the data.”

Blamey acknowledged that the topics surveyed were heavy and personal, which may have further alienated people from participating. Nonetheless, she said the office was satisfied with the rates, especially since no special incentives were offered for participating. Responses from the survey will be used to further inform and influence Title IX policy and education on campus.

“When we started this process, we wanted the opportunity to inform policy, to shape our prevention and the systems for targeted interventions,” Blamey said.

Other topics discussed include amnesty policies and how to file a Title IX report without getting police involved. These were covered by representatives of campus partners and community organizations.

For more information about the Office of Title IX, visit their website. The office is hosting many other events throughout the month of April in observance of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which can all be found on the UT events calendar.