By: Shanlon Wu

College can be a time of freedom and exploration for young people. However, there is also a long-ignored culture of sexual discrimination and harassment that affects many campuses around the country — and, unfortunately, sometimes a tendency towards an increase in accusations.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is the federal law that allows alleged victims of sexual harassment or assault to argue that the culture of sexual assault and harassment violates their right to equal opportunity in education.

Over the last 10 years, Title IX has been a battleground where colleges and universities debate their responsibility in both combatting sexual assault in their communities as well as providing fairness for those accused. From the Obama-era “Dear Colleague” Letter to the Trump administration’s 2020 regulations, school administrations have received conflicting instructions from the Department of Education over how to enforce Title IX.