It’s fairly common knowledge among students on Hofstra’s campus that Title IX reports are not always taken seriously and that Hofstra’s culture around sexual misconduct in general needs improvement. Contrarily, it seems it is common belief amongst many administrators and professors on campus that Hofstra’s current state of Title IX reporting practices is perfectly fine and protects the campus community.

This disconnect can be attributed to many factors, perhaps the most important of which is the lack of impact of student voices and experiences on some of Hofstra’s higher-ups. While there are some administrators that students feel they can trust with complaints and issues, many others are known for beating around the bush, listening to defend instead of to understand and not validating student experiences. In my experience, even in situations that are meant to give students a platform to be heard, our voices fall on deaf ears.

Recently, Hofstra updated their Title IX policy to allow survivors a longer timeframe to report misconduct with the chance of an investigation. While this change is necessary and vital in helping survivors get justice, it is not enough. There needs to be a guarantee that it will be enforced. Other Title IX policies – some that are mandated by the state – are not upheld, and when this is brought to the attention of various administrators on campus, students are dismissed. 

The prime example of this is when students reporting Title IX incidents have been victim-blamed by Public Safety, which is strictly prohibited in Article 129-B of the New York State Educational Law. Students who have been victim-blamed in the past find their claims to be denied and invalidated by administrators, likely because if the claims were to be taken seriously, that would serve as proof that Hofstra University broke state educational law. Rather than improving students’, specifically survivors’, experiences, Hofstra would rather save itself the potential legal troubles and not address inappropriate and, frankly, illegal behaviors.

            This example was not an isolated incident, and instead, is part of a larger problem that is not being addressed by administration on campus. Policies that dictate certain protections for students reporting Title IX misconduct incidents are not always followed in practice. When these shortcomings are brought up, they are met with excuses, denial and sometimes pushback from the university. Students are constantly asked to share their experiences and suggestions on how to make Hofstra better, but when we do, our ideas are ignored because they would require the university to be held accountable for its actions, something they are not always prepared to do. 

After spending the better part of a year researching and compiling data about sexual misconduct reports on campuses and ultimately changing the Title IX reporting policy, I have come to the realization that no change in policy will be effective in changing campus culture if administrators are unwilling to take part in that change. Change needs to come from Title IX education on campus. Change needs to come from the way professors talk about Title IX policies and situations when they come up in class. Change needs to come from Public Safety and the way they handle Title IX misconduct reports. Change is already coming from the student body; we need the rest of the university to catch up.