Knowledge. Accountability. Care.
Xavier University Notice of Non-Discrimination
Title IX is the federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on sex in all federally funded education programs and activities. In compliance with Title IX, Xavier University does not discriminate based on sex in any education or activity, including admission and employment. Sex discrimination includes sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, harassment or discrimination based on pregnancy, parenting, sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Xavier University does not tolerate sex discrimination. If a student or employee believes they have experienced sex discrimination or has questions about Title IX, please contact Xavier’s Chief Title IX Officer, Kate Lawson, at 332B Gallagher Student Center, 3800 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45207, 513-745-3046, lawsonk1@xavier.edu or the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at U.S. Dept. of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20202, 800-421-3481, OCR@ed.gov. For free, confidential advocacy and support, contact Xavier’s Campus Advocacy Coordinator at 513-904-9013.
The Title IX Office leads Xavier's efforts to prevent and address sex discrimination, including all forms of Title IX Sexual Harassment and Interpersonal Violence. Our mission is a safe environment for all students, faculty, staff and visitors at Xavier.
Xavier's Title IX policies:
- Prohibits all forms of sex discrimination (including sexual harassment, sexual violence, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, and retaliation against individuals reporting sex discrimination) and discrimination, harassment or violence based on a person's sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
- Protect students, employees, and visitors of all gender identities and sexual orientations.
- Requires Xavier to have a prompt, equitable resolution process in place to address sex discrimination complaints, which includes a reliable, impartial, and adequate investigation by Xavier's Title IX Office.
Title IX:
- Protects pregnant and parenting students and employees. Examples of an individual's rights under Title IX include:
- A school must excuse absences because of pregnancy or childbirth for as long as student’s doctor deems the absences medically necessary. If the school requires students with other medical conditions to submit a doctor’s note, it may require the same from a pregnant student.
- A school may offer the student alternatives to making up missed work, such as retaking a semester, taking part in an online course credit recovery program, or allowing the student additional time in a program to continue at the same pace and finish at a later date, especially after longer periods of leave. The student should be allowed to choose how to make up the work.
- Universities must allow pregnant students to continue participating in classes and extracurricular activities even though they are pregnant.
- Universities must allow pregnant students to return to the same academic and extracurricular status as before their medical leave began, which should include giving students the opportunity to make up any work missed while they were out.
- Schools must ensure that the policies and practices of individual teachers do not discriminate against pregnant students. Professors may not refuse to allow students to submit work after a deadline they missed because of pregnancy or childbirth. For example, a teacher may not refuse to allow a student to submit work after a deadline that she missed because of absences due to pregnancy or childbirth. Additionally, if a teacher’s grading is based in part on class attendance or participation, the student should be allowed to earn the credits she missed so that she can be reinstated to the status she had before the leave.
- Any special services provided to students who have temporary medical conditions must also be provided to a pregnant student. For example, if a school provides special services, such as homebound instruction or tutoring, for students who miss school because they have a temporary medical condition, it must do the same for a student who misses school because of pregnancy or childbirth.
- Schools may implement special instructional programs or classes for a pregnant student, but participation must be completely voluntary on the part of the student, and the programs and classes must be comparable to those offered to other students.
- Requires that members of both genders have equal opportunities to participate in sports and receive the benefits of competitive sports.
No police report needs to be filed for Xavier to investigate and determine whether a violation of its policies has occurred. Xavier must and will respond to sex discrimination complaints under its own policies regardless of whether a student makes a police report and/or whether a criminal investigation is proceeding.
Xavier's policies on sex discrimination can be found in the Xavier Student Handbook (applies when a student is accused of engaging in sex discrimination) and the Harassment Code and Accountability Procedures (HCAP) (applies when an employee is accused of engaging in sex discrimination). These policies describe in detail the investigation and complaint resolution process for sex discrimination complaints at Xavier. Some forms of sex discrimination may also violate Ohio law. Definitions of these crimes as well as how Ohio law defines consent can be found in Student Handbook Section 1.6.5.
Xavier students and employees have rights under Xavier's sex discrimination policies. A full description of these rights is available in the Student Handook and the HCAP.
Xavier students and employees have many reporting and support options, including confidential resources if the individual is not yet sure what they want to do. A Xavier student has the right to report to the Title IX and/or law enforcement (Xavier University Police Department and/or local police department).
Xavier addresses student safety, housing, academic, employment, counseling, immigration and other potential needs regardless of whether the individual engaging in sex discrimination against the student in a Xavier community member and regardless of whether the student files an official report with law enforcement and/or the Title IX Office. Information on the many interim and supportive measures Xavier may implement students and employees impacted by sex discrimination may be found in the Student Handbook and HCAP.
Xavier encourages all community members to educate themselves on how to recognize sex discrimination and provides campus-wide education to students, faculty and staff on engaging safely and effectively as a bystander.
All questions and concerns regarding Title IX and sex discrimination may be directed to Xavier's Title IX Interpersonal Violence Response Office staff:
- Chief Title IX Officer: Kate Lawson--(513) 745-3046, lawsonk1@xavier.edu, Gallagher Student Center 332B
- Title IX Program Director: Talia Mason-- (513) 745-2841, masont5@xavier.edu, Gallagher Student Center 332C
- Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Athletics: Susan Cross Lipnickey-- (513) 745-2855, lipnickeys@xavier.edu, Athletics Department
The U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights enforces Title IX. Inquiries should be directed to the Office for Civil Rights Cleveland Office.