Last April, the U.S. Department of Education announced new Title IX regulations, which affect how Brown and schools across the nation respond to reports of sex discrimination. The federal government required all campuses to comply with the updated law by Aug. 1, 2024 — in accordance, the University has updated its Title IX Policy and Title IX Grievance Procedures, effective Aug. 1, 2024.

 

This updated policy prohibits sex discrimination, including sex-based harassment, as well as retaliation and prohibited intimate relationships; the associated grievance procedures outline the process that the University follows when it receives a report of alleged prohibited conduct. It’s important to note that the new federal Title IX regulations introduce or update a number of terms and definitions, and Brown’s updated policy reflects the new federal language. The policy defines “sex discrimination” as “subjecting an individual or group to an adverse action — including differential treatment — based on sex, including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity; parental, family or marital status; and/or pregnancy or related conditions.” The policy defines “sex-based harassment” as “harassment on the basis of sex, including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation and gender identity,” and can take a variety of forms, such as quid pro quo harassment, hostile environment harassment, and sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking.

 

Following the updated 2024 federal regulations, which amended some requirements of universities implemented in an earlier 2020 update to the law, Brown is now able to return to a single Title IX policy and grievance procedures. Maintaining a single, community-wide policy to address issues of sexual and gender-based violence, harassment and misconduct was a core recommendation of Brown’s Sexual Assault Task Force in 2014-15, and this updated policy and grievance procedures now replaces separate sets of policies and procedures that guided Brown’s response to conduct from 2020 to 2024, based on the federal regulations in place during those years. We feel strongly that the return to one policy — which is enabled by this 2024 federal update and will guide Brown’s response to all reported conduct alleged to have taken place on Aug. 1, 2024, or later — aligns with a long-standing community-based approach established with the work of the Sexual Assault Task Force.

 

The University has also adopted a new Pregnancy and Parenting Policy to comply with provisions in the new federal regulations that provide protections for students, employees and applicants for admission and employment against discrimination based on pregnancy and related conditions.

 

The Title IX and Gender Equity Office will offer updated training to educate our community on the revised policies and procedures, and community members can expect further information on those opportunities during the upcoming semester.

 

Every member of the Brown community is encouraged to review the revised policy and procedures and remember that these protections apply broadly to the Brown community.

 

Sincerely, 

Russell C. Carey, Interim Vice President for Campus Life, Executive Vice President for Planning and Policy