Sexual assaults have continued to remain an issue at colleges across the country. Students have admitted to being sexually assaulted while attending college. These students have reported their sexual assaults to college staff, Title IX coordinators, and members of their college community. The US federal government legislation Title IX ensures that colleges have sexual assault prevention programs available to their students. The Title IX legislation ensures that students feel safe on campus, and it prevents sexual assault cases. Title IX investigates colleges and universities throughout the United States to see if they follow the Title IX guidelines. The government provides funding to colleges that follow Title IX legislation. If the college does not follow Title IX, the government will withhold government funding. For colleges to obtain Title IX financing, the college needs to have a Title IX coordinator, report sexual assaults, and have in place a sexual discrimination policy (Office of Civil Rights). Title IX legislation ensures that students do not get discriminated against based on their sex when looking for employment and in college programs.
The purpose of this study is to review how Title IX coordinators in three different universities in New Jersey handle sexual assault cases and implement sexual assault prevention. The three colleges that were studied are a medium commuter university, a large private university, and a large public university. The researcher conducted a qualitative study by conducting interviews with Title IX coordinators. The study investigated how the Title IX coordinator implemented Title IX policies and created sexual assault prevention programs. It looked into the effectiveness of different colleges or universities sexual assault prevention program. This can help analyze how different colleges or universities have various similarities when implementing sexual assault prevention on their campus.
Researchers and policymakers have shown significant concern over urban communities' sociological and criminological disparities. Yet, research has not focused on the direct correlation between life’s hardships and stressors for minority students raised in urban communities and their resiliency to pursue higher education. This study explores the perspectives of 7 students enrolled at a small, private, 4-year higher education institution in Northern New Jersey. The findings illustrate the importance of collegiate programs that directly impact the lives of urban minority students exposed to trauma-related incidents within their communities that create life stressors and hardships.